Damon finds his true love
by Rayna Silverstone
Summary: A founding family that hides more than you know, our favorite vampire bad boy finally finding his true match and a whole lot of trouble they have to get through in order to find happiness. Starts from S1, with a lot of changes to the story as we go on. Damon/OC, Stefan/Elena and lots of others.
1. Returning home, starting anew

_**So, this is my first attempt at fanfiction, and I chose to go with Vampire Diaries, since it has been killing me to see this show go down such a wrong (in my opinion) road. **_

_**In order to fix that problem, I went all the way ot the beginning and altered a few things here and there, completely changing the course of how things will go. Also, I'm a huge Stelena fan, so don't expect any Delena things happening here, not even minor ones. **_

_**Any characters from the show sadly belong to Julie Plec, though I would gladly take Damon for me if she would let me. My OCs however, have been branded with my copyright, since my weird imagination created them, and are all mine to do what ever I want with. **_

_**This story is on M rating mostly because I plan on creating some very naughty scenes whenever Damon is involved, sexual or otherwise, but don't worry, any chapters with such material will have notices at the beginning. Other than that, a few violent scenes and some swearing are the other reasons for the rating.**_

_**PS: I have chosen certain actors for my OCs, I will introduce them at the beginning of the chapter they first appear on.**_

_**So, no more boring notes, on with the story!**_

* * *

_**Rayna Silverstone - Lucy Hale**_

_**Albert Silverstone - Billy Zane, Titanic style**_

_**Olivia Evans, former Silverstone - Diane Kruger**_

* * *

September 4th, 2009

The sun was shining brightly as I drove down the wet road to the small town I was going to call home from now on. It must have been raining yesterday, yet the warm sun now climbing towards the top of the sky was going to dry the road in an hour or so. I passed the sign that welcomed me to the lovely town of Mystic falls, and I felt a little relieved that I had finally arrived at my safe haven. This was the one place I knew nothing bad would ever happen to me, no matter what.

As I hit on the gas of my black and red Ford Mustang GT down the road, images of this past year's events flashed through my mind. It all seemed a blur, yet all had started almost a year ago. My life was running along smoothly, or relatively smoothly I guess. You see my father, Albert Silverstone, comes from one of the founding families of this little town, the Silverstones, who, amongst others, had come down south from Salem almost 300 years ago, during the Salem witch trials. Most of the families simply wanted to get away from the evil influences and the mayhem that occurred up there, while others simply had to get away from the hunters before someone discovered their dark little secret.

Several families had magical people among them, but chose to hide and relocate before things got ugly. My family was among them. My great grandmother, whose name I had inherited, Rayna Silverstone, had quite a few abilities with the magical arts, so she convinced her husband, who had no idea of his wife's abilities, to leave Salem along with a few of their close friends to avoid the evil that apparently had overcome their hometown and start a new in a place untainted by the evil. She passed down the secret to each daughter that was born, with the promise to never reveal it unless it was absolutely needed. I was the fifth of the bloodline to inherit the gift and grandma Felicia had taught me every summer we came for vacation to Mystic Falls about the magical world and the supernatural beings that lurked around, both good and bad, up until she passed away when I was barely 12. Mother had never wanted to come here, she preferred a nice weekend in Miami, but Daddy always insisted. He always loved this town, growing up here before he left for Washington to work for the Washington Post as a journalist, and a really good one at that.

That was when he met his wife and mommy dearest if mine, Olivia Evans. She worked at the legal department of the newspaper. At first, their love was strong, like a bright fire, but somehow, Olivia had grown disinterested in her husband and his ambitions and chose to simply ignore his excitements and get on with her own goals in life. When I came along, their mutual love over their daughter had rekindled their marriage but soon she grew jealous over little old me and my talented spirit. I had inherited my father's adventurous quirks and the natural dark beauty of the Silverstones. Nothing had come down to me from my mother's side, apart from her fiery temper, which I learned to control, most of the time. Mommy Olivia, being a natural blond, hated my long dark brown curls and the way my dark brown eyes seemed to enchant every person that was at the same room with me.

I couldn't understand at that time, thinking that I had done something to disturb her, even going as far as suggesting to dye my hair blond so I'd be more like her, but that had angered her even more. Soon, as we started passing our summers at Mystic falls, Mommy grew bitter, despite the recognition the family had among the community members. She was always the outsider, the one that would never understand the beauty of the abandoned houses that now lay empty around the thick forest and had even received a few glares when she suggested that one of the oldest houses in the area, the Salvatore Boarding House would make a very nice hotel. The Gothic styled mansion was something of a relic for the town and her very thought was considered sacrilege. Even Dad had reprimanded her for that. And the problems didn't stop after that.

While I was in middle school, a new neighbor came to our neighborhood in Washington. That man was bound to be the beginning of the end for my parents' marriage. My mom started seeing the charming Thomas Devon, a manager at a big pharmaceutical company. I never even knew a thing until I came home from school one day, almost one year ago from today and found my parents fighting. Their shouts could be heard all the way from around the corner, and I hid myself under the side window to eavesdrop on their fight.

"How could you do this to me Olivia?" my dad yelled at her, fuming. He was always so quiet, it almost frightened me to hear him shout like that, even if the target was someone I didn't quite like. I had never seen him getting mad at anyone.

"You stopped caring about me a while ago Albert. You really thought I wasn't going to find someone to really care about me?"

"I always cared about you Olivia; you just couldn't get enough attention to yourself. You even grew jealous of our daughter for goodness sake! What kind of a mother are you?"

"Oh shut up with your perfect daughter! She always tried to outshine me ever since I brought her to this world. She is a useless silly thing, always trying to be the center of attention."

"No Olivia, you are the one who always tries to get everyone's attention. You are not the center of the universe you know," my father said in a bitter tone.

It pained me to hear him speaking in that tone, but it pained me even more to hear my mother saying how much she hated me. I had no idea. All these years, I had tried countless times to earn her love, but to no avail, and I always wondered what I was doing wrong, but now everything seemed clear. I took a deep breath and made my way to the front door, opening with my key. They both stopped when the heard me coming in the living room, my father rather frightened and my mom simply casting a disinterested glance at me.

"Rayna, when did you get here?" my dad asked me, a bit uncomfortable with me standing by the door, silent as the grave.

"I've been here long enough to listen to my dear mother and how much she hates me," I commented bitterly. I turned to face her, rather angry now. "All my life, I tried to earn your trust, your love and appreciation, and you hated me because I was born? If I had known sooner, I wouldn't waste so many nights crying because my mother didn't like me. As for what you did to daddy, I won't even comment on that. You are pathetic."

As I finished, I stomped my way to my room and locked the door. I plugged my earphones on and didn't even consider going back out there to see what my parents where doing. When I finally gave in to my stomach's protests and went to the kitchen to get something to eat, there wasn't a living soul in the house. I went to my parents' bedroom and saw my mother's things missing, the closet door open and half the clothes missing. My dad had left a note on the fridge, saying he'd be back tomorrow. I had no idea where he had gone, but I understood he needed time to lick his wounds.

Three months later, the divorce had been finalized and mom had officially moved out. I never saw her again after that, and she didn't even call, not that I would talk to her if she did. She became a taboo subject and I was more than happy to forget about her and the pain she caused to both me and daddy. Soon, our life went back to a normal looking routine and as I was getting ready to start into my final year of high school, my dad told me we were moving to his parents' home so I packed my stuff, loaded them on the trunk of my car and had driven the three-hour ride to our new home. My dad had a few more things to settle and he would join me the next night. At least we had sold our furniture and nothing would remind us of my mom at our new place.

I had two days to clean up our rooms and bring some life into the old place before school started on Monday. I dreaded the moment when I would have to face my old friends, especially Elena Gilbert. She had been the closest one to me, and I hadn't been there when her parents had died in a car crash, not even three months ago. I had called her of course, tried to console both her and her little brother Jeremy, but I should have been here. I just hoped I could help them with their grieving now.

As I reached the old house, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I was so anxious, I felt a knot forming in my stomach. I parked right outside and got out, the rich scent of pines from the trees nearby welcoming me back. I looked around; the place needed some serious TLC. It would take days to get it to its normal glorious state once again. I sighed and made my way to the front door. I unlocked the huge double doors and let myself in. Despite being closed for over seven years, only the lawn outside showed that no one was living in here. Sure, there was dust covering every surface of the hardwood floor and the expensive furniture was covered with large white sheets, but that could easily be dealt with. I went back outside, grabbed my bags and made my way to the second floor, where the bedrooms were. I knew daddy would want his old bedroom, the one he had ever since he was a kid, so I decided to take the master bedroom on the other side of the house. It would be nice to listen to my music as loud as I wanted without bothering him. Not to mention the room was large enough for me to practice my dancing moves. I loved dancing, all forms of it, but ballroom dancing was my favorite. I always required a well-practiced partner though, which was part of the reason why my boyfriends never lasted more than a month. They couldn't keep up with me on the dancefloor and eventually I grew tired of them, among other reasons.

I opened the door and a wave of musty air washed over me. I placed my bags on the bare mattress and went to open the windows. As I unlocked the shutters, the warmness of the sun and the cool breeze made me smile. The view was always magnificent from this room. The misty forest that surrounded the mansion always gave away a sense of grandeur and mystery. I quickly changed to my work clothes and plugged my stereo to the outlet by the bed. At least the electricity and the water were running. Loud pop music filled the room as I went to the private bathroom to fill my bucket with water and start cleaning.

Two hours later, both my bathroom and bedroom were sparkly clean, the mattress was outside on the back porch, waiting for me to give it a good whipping to get all that dust away and my clothes were hanging in the huge pine dresser from the hangers. I looked at the clock that always hung from the wall next to the bed, it read 10.30. I had made great progress in just two hours. I grabbed my cleaning gear and made my way to my dad's room. After an hour, I had cleaned that as well and decided to take a break and eat a little something. I realized that all I had was that sandwich I had bought on the way and made a mental note to go grocery shopping later today. We would need food if we wanted to survive out here.

I ate my lunch and started with the kitchen. By the time the sun started lowering on the sky, I had finished half of the house. After a quick shower to make myself decent again, without any dust bunnies and dirt on me I dressed in a pair of light jeans and a black and red cotton T-shirt, slipped my feet in my black sneakers and grabbed the list of necessities I had made earlier on. I locked the house and got in my car, happy that I had at least managed to make the house look half-decent. The outside of the house was left for tomorrow, and that was if I could manage to get the old lawnmower to work. As I drove across town, I found myself staring at the familiar shops that I had come to know so well all these years. I reached the old grocery store and parked on a spot right next to the entrance. The police cruiser was parked right next to me, and I could see Sheriff Forbes coming from the store, holding two brown paper bags in each hand. Though I liked her, her daughter was not among my favorite people in this town. Caroline Forbes was always trying to outshine everyone around her, pretending she was the live reincarnation of Barbie, perfect in every way. As I locked my car, I almost collided with her, since she wasn't looking in front of her.

"Be careful!" I yelped as I got out of her way just in time. She yelped in surprise and almost dropped one of her bags, but I was quick to catch it before it fell on the road. She steadied herself and then turned to look at me.

"Thank you so much. And to think that as a Sheriff, I'm supposed to be careful."

"It's alright Sheriff Forbes; we all get clumsy at least once in our lives. I know; I have been way too clumsy and I'm only 17." She placed the bags on the back of the cruiser before she turned to look at me as I handed her the bag I had caught.

"Do I know you? You don't look familiar, and yet you know me."

"You do know me, it's just that the last time I was in town, I still wore cut-off jeans and ran around in my grandparents' house causing mayhem," I chuckled. She looked even more confused.

"I'm Rayna Silverstone, the girl your daughter never really liked as she said?" Realization lit her eyes as a smile graced her pink lips.

"Little Rayna Silverstone, running around like a boy, picking roots and playing mud wars with the boys."

"That's me. Though I don't play mud wars anymore, at least not unless I'm provoked."

"Oh yes, I do remember the day Caroline threw that mud pie at you and tried to get away with it. It took me three hours to scrub all that dirt from her." "Like I said, I was provoked."

"I know. What are you doing here in Mystic Falls all by yourself though, where are your parents?" I frowned at the sound of that.

"My parents got divorced three months ago, so Dad and I decided to move back here. I'm already enrolled in high school here. He's coming around tomorrow; he had a few last things to take care."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry about your parents."

"Don't be Sheriff; my mom brought this to herself. They're better off separated. Maybe now my dad can smile a little without her grudging about it."

"I have to admit your mother never really liked our town."

"Because she couldn't understand the beauty of a small town like Mystic Falls. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to do a little grocery shopping. It's better to get home before nightfall."

"And try not to go into the woods at night, will you? We've had several animal attacks lately, and we still haven't managed to catch that thing."

"I will Sheriff. I hope you catch that animal quickly."

"You and me both," she said as she climbed on the cruiser and backed away from the spot before turning to leave, waving at me. I waved back and turned around to go into the store.

As I was debating which pasta I should make for dinner tonight, another hand reached out to grab the same package as I did. I turned to see who that was and came face to face with a boy that looked a lot like Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's younger brother, though he looked a lot different now. Black nail polish, black clothes, and all the light was lost from his eyes, replaced by a dull grey something that looked sickening. What had happened to the happy boy I remembered?

"Sorry," he muttered as he turned to look at me and his eyes widened. He stared at me for a moment before he spoke again. "Excuse me, but you look a lot familiar. Have I seen you around here?"

"It depends. I just came back to the town today, and you look familiar as well. You wouldn't happen to know a boy named Jeremy Gilbert who used to sneak up on me and his sister as we played by the lake, trying to scare us, but he always ended up in the lake, do you?" I teased him with a smile.

His face changed almost immediately and eyes almost bugged out of their sockets as he looked at me with a slightly agape mouth. "Rayna?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"You know it little Jer," I chuckled, remembering his nickname from our early days. He lunged himself at me, hugging me with surprising force. He had certainly grown up these past few years.

"What on earth are you doing here? Better yet, why didn't you call us to let us know you were coming?"

"Because it was kinda spur of the moment thing. Besides, I've been around only for a few hours, the majority of which I spent in my grandparents' house, trying to get the dust out of the rooms and make it habitable. I would have called you tomorrow." He smiled that brilliant smile I remembered from our childhood and I couldn't help but smile back. Though a bit younger than me, Jeremy was one of my best friends whenever I came here.

"Jeremy, have you found the pasta yet?" a female voice said as a woman with beautiful caramel colored hair and green eyes rounded the corner with a cart and a teenage girl with dark hair and dark eyes beside her. Both of them looked at me and their eyes widened, Elena's more than Jenna's. As they approached us, Jenna smiled a bright smile, Elena was still frozen in a state of utter surprise.

"El, you might wanna close that gaping mouth, flies don't taste that good you know," I chuckled as I got closer to them. That got her out of her trance as she came to hug me tightly. I returned the embrace, so happy that I had found one of my closest friends again.

"Is it really you?" Elena muttered as she took a step back to look at me.

"No, it's my ghost that has decided to come here and say hello. Of course it's me you silly!" I exclaimed happily.

"It's so nice to see you again sweetie," Jenna said as she hugged me as well. It had been years since I last saw her, and despite she was not exactly family to Elena and Jeremy, I always called her aunt. She always said it was a bit weird, since she was not that much older than us, but it had stuck with me.

"What are you doing here all by yourself, where are your dad and that annoying mother of yours?" Jeremy said as he threw an arm around my shoulders.

"Jeremy, manners!" Jenna exclaimed, throwing a glare at him.

"It's alright Jenna, he's absolutely right. In any way, long story short, my parents split up, and dad arrives here tomorrow. At least I got half of the house clean before school starts on Monday." That got Elena to widen her eyes once again.

"Please tell me you are staying here permanently," she said, eyeing me warily.

"You know it. Dad decided that the environment around here is perfect for inspiration on the book he's writing, so we are moving here for good. I finally get to stay here without my mother's constant nagging," I tail-sang. Elena jumped to hug me again, which was not so easy with Jeremy already hugging half of me. We ended up in a weird three-way hug.

"I have an idea. Why don't you come home for dinner tonight, so we can all catch up and you don't have to stay alone in that house, huh?" Jenna offered as we untangled ourselves from the hug. I thought about it for a second and nodded.

"Sure, I have cleaned half of that place anyway. The other half can wait until tomorrow." Elena squealed and hugged me again.

After I was done with my groceries, Elena came with me to my house to help me unload my goods and pack a few things for me to spend the night at her place.

"You know, this place sure is creepy without your parents and your grandparents around."

"It's nighttime El, that's why you think that. Wait until school starts for good, I'm gonna throw a kick-ass party and this house will light up like a Christmas tree." She chuckled at the comment as I locked the door and we made our way to my car.

As I opened the door, I saw a large black crow sitting on top of the tree by the main door. I looked at it for a minute and almost shivered at the sensation it gave me. It felt as if it was not an ordinary crow. I shrugged the feeling off and caught up with Elena, ignoring the black bird that remained perched on the tree. Maybe my sixth sense was on overdrive these days.

The night went by wonderfully, and despite Jeremy's complaints that we were cutting him out of our gang, Elena and I retired to her room to discuss our private girl stuff. We both sat on her bed, clad in our pyjamas, as I waited for her to speak first. She was really silent, and I wasn't sure what I should say to comfort her. Her parents had died only a few months ago. I decided to move on to lighter topics and leave that discussion for later.

"So, how are Bonnie and the crazy girl Caroline these days?" I asked, making her snort. At least I managed to get her to crack a small smile; that was great progress.

"They're both fine. Bonnie is having small problems with her dad, but her grandma is always there to comfort her and Caroline is busy trying to develop the newest routine for the cheerleading practice. By the way, are you going to try out for the cheerleaders this year? I remember you saying that you went to a dancing academy for quite some time."

"Yes I did, but I'm in no mood to start a blood feud with Caroline. Even I have to admit she is good at being the cheerleader captain. Besides, those routines are not really my thing. I do remember though that you are also a part of the team. Are you going to continue this year?" She frowned at that. "I'm not really sure. I'm not exactly all that concerned with the tryouts."

"Well, at least if you are going to join, you can cheer for Matt, your boyfriend." Another frown and an uncomfortable silence.

"What is going on El?"

"Matt and I broke up a while ago, I needed some space for myself," she uttered. Ouch, that must have hurt Matt's feelings. Him and Elena have been together since middle school, the perfect couple as most of the students had dubbed them. I had known Matt since we were practically infants, so I knew that he was a great guy to have as a boyfriend. "Well, it's your decision, and if he respects it, he is really a great guy. How about the rest of the students, any new admissions to the school body?"

"Not that I know of. The same old ones you remember from your summers here. But I think we spoke enough about me. What about you, you haven't told me anything about your life in Washington. Any boyfriends that I should know about?" she winked. I had to give it to her; she was really trying to be in a good mood for me.

"Not anyone of importance, otherwise I wouldn't have moved. I had my fair share of heartbreaks, but nothing too serious. The last one was the worst of them, but he left no scars on me to lick. I was too preoccupied with my stupid mother."

"What about her, you said your parents broke up. Why?"

"My mom started seeing a guy that lived next door. No one knew about it until about a year ago, when my dad somehow found out and I came home one day to find them fighting."

"Wow, I can't imagine your dad yelling, he was always so calm as far as I can remember."

"I was pretty shocked when I heard him from around the corner to our house, so I decided to eavesdrop a little. What I heard was not so good." "What was that?"

"My mom didn't even try to explain her actions, only accused him that he wasn't paying enough attention to her, and the fact that I always had his full attention. She hated me from the day I was born El, I was just a nuisance to her," I finished with tears threatening to spill. I tried my best to calm down. I didn't want to breakdown in front of her; that was the last thing she needed right now. Nevertheless, she came to hug my shoulders and rub my back soothingly.

"I'm so sorry Ray."

"It's okay; I have long since come to terms with it. New page, new life. It gets me sometimes, but I will learn to bury it in the back of my mind. With my dad, Jenna, you, Bonnie, Jer, even Caroline sounds like a good idea for a friend right now. Impossible, right?" I chuckled and so did Elena.

"You never lose your spirit, do you?"

"Only when I'm really bad, which is not so often, thank goodness for that."

We laughed and soon the mood changed to the town's gossip, even to those mysterious animal attacks. No one had been killed so far, but the attacks were quite frightening. We went to bed soon after, both happy that we had found the other.

The next morning, as Elena and I woke up, we decided to go wake up Jeremy in our own special way. We snuck to his room and both jumped on him as he lay asleep, snoring slightly. He all but jumped up, all disheveled, looking around to find out what was going on, causing us to lay down laughing at his expression.

"You two are such babies," he muttered as he dragged the covers over his head again. Jenna came in the room, probably alerted by Jeremy's yells, but she just stood on the doorway smiling when she saw us trying to tickle him, keep him awake. He decided to retaliate and unfortunately, chose me as his target. I had to give it to him, he really knew how to find his targets and my soft spots. At least Jenna took pity on us a few minutes later and yelled at us to come down for breakfast, sparing me of any further torment.

After breakfast, we drove back to my place along with Jenna and a grumpy Jeremy, in order to get everything set up straight. "Come on Jeremy, time to flex those muscles of yours," I joked at him as we got out of the car. He threw me a mild glare and followed me inside, only to stop at the entrance.

"I think I prefer to take on the garden. This task requires some talent with the machines, which none of you have," he scoffed as he changed course and turned to the garden shed. "Whatever floats your boat Jer," I yelled as we got inside and started our work.

After three hours, and with the help of my friends, the house had returned to its former glory. Jeremy had even managed to get the old lawnmower working and had all but cleaned the entire garden. As he was finishing the last of the front lawn, I went to the kitchen to help Jenna with lunch. She had made steaks and potatoes, Jeremy's favorite, a sort of reward for all the hard work he had done. Since Elena was up in my room, choosing through my collection of CDs, I took the chance to talk to Jenna alone.

"How have they been coping Jenna?" I asked her as she peeled the potatoes.

"Not that well. Elena is still on the silent grieving part and Jeremy doesn't even talk to me about anything. I heard that he is involved with some really bad characters, and I have no idea what to do to stop him. But the whole event is fresh, so it's gonna take some time for them to get used to the idea. It's a great thing that you came back here though, it's gonna help them a lot to have another friend around to support them, particularly Elena."

"I'll do my best," I responded as she put the potatoes in the pot to boil. I went back upstairs to check on Elena, and I found her on my bed, still trying to sort through the CDs. Well, I had a vast collection so it's expected to take this long to go through them. "Hey, who is that?" El asked me as she held up a photo of me with my last boyfriend, Chris Timmons.

"That is my ex-boyfriend Chris. We broke up two weeks ago."

"May I ask why, or is it too painful to talk about?" "He wanted me to try and get my parents back together so we can be together, among other things. When I told him that my mother didn't even want to see me, he asked me what I had done to upset her. Noting here that I had told him about everything my mom has done to me since I was born."

"Talk about sensitivity," she chuckled as I took the picture from her and tossed her on the other side of the room. "He's in the past, and shall remain there forever. I just hope there are a few cute guys around here to drag my interest," I winked at her. Elena chuckled at the sound of that as we went down to eat with Jenna and Jer.

That night I slept with ease, smelling the clean air all around the house, but I had that feeling you get when you know that someone was watching you, hidden away somewhere in the dark. I woke up sometime in the night, and the same crow I had seen before was perched at my window frame, staring at me. "Go home sweetheart, I don't have anything to feed you with," I smiled at it. It just kept staring at me, and after a while exhaustion took me over and I fell asleep once again.


	2. Meetings, friends and a party

_**Wow, I posted this story yesterday and I already have two followers, a review and even one favorite!**_

_**Thanks for the support guys, this actually means a lot!**_

_**So, this is the new chapter. It covers up to the party in the woods, with a little bonus POV of Damon at the end, just so we can see what is in that bad boy's mind during this whole thing. **_

_**Also, a few minor or major notes about Rayna's family secret, which will develop as the story goes on. Just so you know, this girl has a lot of aces up her sleeves. **_

_**A few of the characters will be acting a bit AU, but hey, if they were acting like they did on the show, this wouldn't be a fanfiction story. **_

_**As usual, none of the original characters belong to me, I'm just borrowing them for a little fun. Contructive critisism and any ideas you have on the story are always welcome, but flames will be put out immediately. **_

_**Now, on with the story!**_

* * *

September 5th, 2009

When I woke up, the crow was no longer there. I shrugged as I got up to inspect the house and note any damages that had to be fixed. There weren't many things, but some needed immediate attention, so I set off to work. Around noon, I heard my dad's car parking in the garage and went outside to greet him. "Hey dad, welcome home!"

"It's good to be home sweetheart. Give me a hand, will ya?" he replied as he lugged his suitcases out of the trunk of his SUV. I grabbed one of the heavy things and managed to get it all the way to the entrance before I stopped to take a much needed breath. As I pulled the damn thing inside, I felt my phone vibrating in my back pocket. I gave up on the suitcase and pulled my phone to see who had texted me. 'I told Bonnie and Caroline about your arrival, they want to meet up and catch up with you; even Caroline is a bit excited. Care for a quick lunch at the Grill?' I raised my eyebrow at the last bit. Caroline wanted to see me? That was new. Bonnie and I had been close, but Caroline was never too fond of me.

"Something wrong honey?" my dad asked me as he came inside with the last of his stuff. "Elena wants to have lunch with me, a general girls afternoon thing, but I'll pass. I'll help you settle down."

"Honey, you should go. You know I'm a bit of a control freak; I prefer fixing my own things myself. Go, have fun before school starts tomorrow."

"Dad, you're the best!" I kissed him on the cheek before dashing to my bedroom to change. I threw on a pair of jeans, a dark blue T-shirt and my black leather jacket, sent a text to Elena that I would pick her up from her place and made my way to my car.

After picking up Elena, we drove to the favorite hanging spot for every resident in Mystic Falls, the Mystic Grill. You could drink, eat, play pool, and even dance if you wanted to. Most of the young people of this town would come here at least once a week, to loosen up and have fun, and we weren't any exception.

We caught a table by the bar and waited for our friends to arrive. Soon, a lovely caramel skinned girl with black hair and captivating green eyes walked in, followed by the living impersonation of Barbie doll. Elena waved at them and they turned at the sound of her voice. Bonnie's eyes widened and a big smile graced her beautiful face as she came up to me. I got up and hugged her tightly, so happy to see her again.

"I'm so excited that you are back in town Rayna. Elena tells me that you are here to stay," she said as she let me go. "Yeah, I finally can stay at the one place I feel at home without the constant nagging of my mother."

"What happened?" she asked me, tilting her head to the side. "My parents split up about a year ago, so my dad seized the chance to return to his hometown." Bonnie smiled at that; she knew how much I hated my mother.

I turned to Caroline, who stood beside Bonnie, eyeing us both with a stern expression on her pretty face. "Hello Caroline," I greeted her.

"Hello to you too Rayna. Not gonna start another mud war, are you?" she raised an eyebrow at me. "Not unless you provoke me," I retorted. She smiled and hugged me as well. This was quite a surprise, albeit a nice one. "This may sound crazy, but I actually missed you," she said as she let me go and we sat down beside our friends.

"I might as well say the same thing. Apart from all the fighting we had as kids, I kinda liked your personality."

"Okay, you two have seriously hurt your head, there is no other explanation for this whole thing," Bonnie declared, making us laugh. "People change Bon, it happens. Besides, you should be happy, not surprised," I replied. "Actually, I'm both," she shrugged.

We spent the better part of the day catching up, and before I knew it, the sun had set and I reluctantly said goodbye to my friends and drove back home. As I got out of the car, the same crow from yesterday sat on the oak tree at the front yard, staring at me. "You must really like this place huh buddy?" I chuckled as I went in through the kitchen door and came outside with a slice of bread.

"Here you go, you must be hungry," I said as I tossed the bread at the base of the tree and went back inside. I watched from the window as the crow flew down and picked on the bread, eating it slowly. I smiled as I turned around to go find my dad, missing the shadow that leaned on the tree, watching me with a smirk on their face.

September 7th, 2009

I woke up feeling a bit tired, but also nervous. Today was the first day of school, and though I knew I would have at least three friends to help me cope with everything, I was worried about everything else. I took a shower, curled my hair into soft waves, threw on a pair of dark jeans, a dark purple blouse with a decent cleavage and my white jacket, slipped my feet into my black Converse sneakers and grabbed my book bag as I left the room. I greeted my dad on my way out who was sitting on the office of the library, his laptop open in front of him. He wished me good luck and I thanked him, hurrying to my car. I drove rather slowly to the high school, feeling a bit shy to go in. I arrived a bit earlier than I should have, so I sat on one of the benches, doodling on my notebook to pass the time. After a while, a shadow was cast on the flower I was drawing. "Nice one," a male voice said, and I looked up to a pair of nice blue eyes.

"Thanks," I smiled as I recognized the boy immediately. He was blond, with quite a physique and a very nice face, so cute. "Please don't think I'm creepy, but I feel like I've seen you around here before. You weren't on our school last year though. Who are you?"

"Well Matt, I'll give you a few clues, see if you can recognize me. I came here every summer, we played like crazy and you were my accomplice when I chose Caroline Forbes for my target at the notorious mud wars. Can you guess who I am?"

His eyes went wide before a smile graced his lips. "Rayna Silverstone."

"Bingo! For your quick thinking, here's a reward," I smiled as I tore the page with the flower and gave it to him. "Thanks," he replied as he hugged me. "When did you get here?"

"A few days ago. I've been really busy with housekeeping, but now I have to focus on my schoolwork."

"Are you staying at your grandparents' house?"

"Yeah, me and my dad," I nodded, almost expecting the next question. I knew I was going to answer it quite a few times over the next few days. "What about your mom, I recall that she wasn't exactly fond of our town."

"Then it's a good thing she didn't come, right?" I shrugged. He looked at me with a confused stare. "My parents split up a year ago. Apparently my mom decided to start an affair, my dad found out and they broke up. After that, we moved here to ensure she would never come here."

"I'm so sorry Rayna."

"Don't be. We're much better now. But enough about me. How are things around here?"

"I assume you've met with Elena and Bonnie, they surely filled you on the minor gossip of the town."

"Yeah, even Caroline is happy to see me here." His eyes widened again. "I know, it's really weird. Anyway, they filled me in on the general things that happened around here, but I need another opinion, one outside of their circle. How is Elena coping?" His face fell and his voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm sure you know she and I broke up. She said she wanted some space, but I feel so broken, so useless that I couldn't support her the way I should have." I felt so bad about him. He sounded like he was really hurt. "Matt, you already did. You've kept your distance and let her get through her phase. Any other boy would have made a scene about it."

"I could never do that," he shook his head. "I know. Be patient, she will come out of it and then maybe you guys can try again." "You really think so?" his eyes lit up in hope. "Only time will tell," I replied vaguely. I had no idea what Elena wanted to do from now on, so I decided not to give him any false hope.

Elena's car turned around the corner, and Matt decided to leave me so I could talk to her about it. I didn't promise him any results, but I would do my best to get them back together. Those two were into each other since kindergarten; it would be a shame to break up now. Elena came to my side, and so did Bonnie, who had parked her car close by. "Uh, my grandma is seriously getting a bit loony," Bonnie exclaimed.

"What's wrong with grandma Sheila?" I asked, confused. "She keeps telling me that those visions that I get are a sign that I'm a witch. I mean, all I see are parts of the immediate future, nothing more. It's getting so weird, I'm starting to freak out."

"Relax Bon, you're probably a psychic, and that is actually cool," Elena encouraged her. I sighed, choosing to remain silent for now. I knew that Bonnie was a lot different than a psychic, but I couldn't exactly spill all the secrets at once. I would have to go to Bonnie's grandma one of these days. A talk was definitely in order. Bonnie's powers were starting to develop; she would need both her grandma and me by her side to get through this.

As we made our way in the school, I had a very weird feeling. It was like a shiver running up and down my spine, like a warning. I dismissed it, blaming my nerves for my first day at school as I followed the girls around, and we stopped in front of the main desk for me to go get my schedule, when we noticed another student inside, a boy, talking with the receptionist. "Wow, who is that gorgeous boy?" I commented, turning to them.

"I have no idea, he must be new here. He does look great though, at least from behind. I just hope he's just as gorgeous on the other side," Bonnie whispered. The boy was really tall, at least half a foot taller than me, with an athletic build, not too muscled but with just enough to make the girls swoon. He had straight, short dark brown hair arranged in gelled spikes but not too greasy. He was wearing dark clothes, but he didn't look like a Goth or anything like that. As Bonnie and I started analyzing his posture, Elena turned to see Jeremy go into the boys' bathroom, and she sighed. He did seem a bit weird in his posture. "Sorry girls, I have to go scowl at Jeremy. I'll see you guys later okay?"

We both nodded as she left and just then, the guy turned around, his papers in hand. Bonnie was right, he was even better up front. He reminded me of a Greek god statue, he was so perfect in every way, physically at least. He exited the office and I stiffened as he passed us by. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straighter than ever, and I felt terrified. "Oh God, he is so beautiful I wanna cry. Did you see his eyes?"

"Yeah, they were really beautiful, forest green if I'm not mistaken. Well, I'm sure we're gonna see him again, but I have to go in and get my schedule. I'll see you later, okay?" I replied, trying to not alert her of my almost panicked state of mind. She nodded as I went in the office to get my schedule. "Good morning honey, can I help you?" said the nice receptionist of the main desk. "Yes hi. I'm Rayna Silverstone, I'm new here, starting today."

"Oh right, the other new student. There are two of you this year. The other just left." "The boy that just exited was a new student?" I asked, faking ignorance. "Yes, he's from the Salvatore family. He returned to his hometown, just like you. Let me get your papers honey," she smiled as she went through a few folders. As she busied herself with the process, I went over the new info. Whoever that boy was, he was either using one of the local names to blend in or he was really a Salvatore, just not one I had met before. That was not the most pressing matter of today though. A vampire had just registered in the same high school as me, a really old one by the looks of it. I hadn't even arrived not two days ago and the supernatural business grandma Felicia warned me about had already started. As I took my schedule, the first bell rang and I hurried to Trig class. I really thought I was going to have a peaceful time around here? Fate seemed to wanna play with me.

It turned out that the boy was named Stefan Salvatore, and we had a few classes together. He seemed to keep his eyes on Elena throughout the courses, which was troubling on its own. Had he chosen her as his next victim? At lunch, I sat with Caroline, Bonnie and Elena, trying to act normal, so the girls would not notice my distress. As we chatted, Stefan passed by our table, and we all paused to see him walking by. "Oh god, is it me or he gets even hotter every time I see him?" Bonnie muttered as we followed him with our eyes to a table. He sat by himself, eating a salad slowly, apparently lost in his own world. He didn't even look at us or anyone else for that matter.

"Well, so far I have learned this about him: His name is Stefan Salvatore, he's seventeen, he lives with his uncle Zach at the Salvatore Boarding house since his parents died quite a few years back and he's a Gemini. He doesn't have a girlfriend, but I intend to change that," Caroline finished as she popped a fry in her mouth. "When on earth did you manage to get all those info on him from this morning?" Bonnie asked her.

"Don't be silly. I got those in the break between third and fourth period. I'll see what else I can get on him by the end of the day."

"Maybe you should consider a career as an FBI agent Car, you are really good at gathering info. What is your opinion El, are you interested?" I poked her, getting her out of the trance she was in. "I don't know, he seems a bit weird. I almost bumped into him after I talked to Jeremy. He kept staring at me with his eyes, it was really intense. It kinda gave me the creeps."

"If he stared at me with those eyes, I would have melted to a puddle within a minute," Caroline commented in a dreamy voice before turning back to us with a slightly angry glare directed at Elena. It looked like she was a bit pissed off that Elena had a close encounter with him before her. "What about you Rayna, are you interested?" Bonnie asked me.

I pretended to think about it, knowing that he could probably hear us with his supernatural hearing, if he was indeed a vampire. "I don't know, he's just not my type. I go for blondes most of the time. I'm thinking maybe that boy Ethan that caught my eye at Chemistry would be my choice for starters. He looked really cute. I admit the whole mysterious aura of Stefan is quite intriguing, but I think I'll try with Ethan first," I concluded, making Caroline sigh in relief and effectively turning the conversation elsewhere. Stefan was still listening in on us, I could tell, but the topic was apparently so off his interest that he got up and left a few minutes later. We were so engrossed in our cheerleader conversation that only I noticed him walk away. He spared a glance at Elena and then went back inside the school. I sighed in relief as soon as the doors closed behind him. What would I do about him? Apparently he was interested in Elena, and I wondered in what way. It could be a good one.

I kept thinking about him all the way to my house, and by the time I reached the front door I had decided. I would stay seemingly oblivious and interfere only if he slipped and attacked anyone around. For a moment, I thought about the animal attacks that the whole town talked about. Could that be him? I would have to keep an eye on him at the party tonight, especially if he decided to come.

By the time the sun had set, I had changed into the outfit I had chosen for the party. I had chosen a black leather skirt, an intense blue sleeveless top and my favorite black boots. I grabbed my white jacket and my black purse and said goodbye to my dad as I dashed out the door to my car. The night was a bit cold for September, but that didn't bother me much. I drove out to the forest where the party was going, parked next to a blue Renault Clio and killed the engine. As I got out of my beauty, I caught a few boys staring at me and one of them even winked at me. "Hello gorgeous, you new around?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. I recognized him immediately; I contained my laughter at Tyler Lockwood's pathetic attempt to flirt with me and locked the door of my beauty. "Not really, I've been here a few times and I already know who you are, so no need to introduce yourself."

"Really? If you know me, then why don't you tell me your name so I can remember you? Although I feel a bit cheated that I forgot about a stunning girl like you."

"Tyler, cut the crap, you are really bad at this flirting thing. Besides, it's kinda creepy to get hit on by the boy that tried to toss me in his parents' fountain on the 4th of July six years ago." He narrowed his eyes, confused. "I don't remember anything like that ever happening," he shook his head.

"Tyler, who is this tramp you're hitting on? Hey bitch, he's my boyfriend, back off," a girl cut in, glaring furiously at me. It didn't affect me at all. I recognized her immediately as well, and felt a bit sad that one of my friends had turned to a drug addict. Her eyes were so glazed a blind man could have figured out she was high.

"Relax Vicki, I have no intention of taking him from you, he's all yours," I assured her. "How the hell do you know me?" she spat, her hands on her waist. "I'm not a stranger in this town Vick, I just lived in DC for the past ten years, but I always came around during the summer. And to clarify things, you should remember the fountain incident Tyler, since I ended up pulling you in as well that time," I turned to him. "Your parents gave us quite an earful that night."

"Rayna Silverstone?" he asked, his eyebrows rising almost to his hairline. "Congrats, you found it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find my friends. I'll see you around."

I left them behind me and made my way towards the music. I spotted Caroline somewhere in the crowd, talking to a few girls, Bonnie and Elena close to her, chatting as well, lots of our classmates, Matt, even Jeremy was in a corner, a beer bottle in his hand. I moved towards him, hoping to get that bottle away from him before Elena saw him and started scolding him again. She had filled me in on his situation after their parents had died. He had hooked up with Vicki Donovan, but apparently she didn't want it to be known that she had deflowered Elena's little brother. He seemed to be really in love with her though, and there lay the root of the problem, since Vicki was just fooling around.

"Hey Jer, how are you doing?" "How does it look like I'm doing?" he replied bitterly, taking another gulp of beer. "Jer, you gotta stop doing this, you're destroying yourself and hurting others along with you."

"Are you gonna tell me to be the man of the house like Jenna told me?" he growled at me, apparently angry. "No, I'm gonna tell you to go back to being the Jeremy I remember, without these weird things you do just to escape the pain. I know it feels bad, but this is not a solution."

"As far as I recall, your parents didn't die. You can't know how bad this feels," he spat, and I felt a bit hurt, but went over it. He was half drunk, half stoned; this was not the Jeremy I knew. The real Jeremy would never say things like that. "They didn't die, but you of all people know what I've been through with my mom. She never loved me and always tried to ruin every good moment I had in my life. You, on the other hand, had two lovely parents that loved you very much, and a sister that gets really sad when she sees you waste yourself like that. Now stop being this pathetic moron that Vicki turned you in and show me the real Jeremy, the strong one that never backed down from life and was always up for a challenge."

He raised his eyes to look at me, but lowered them again as he got up and walked away. I sighed, shaking my head. He would definitely need some work. Vicki was driving him to a place of misery, but I wasn't going to let her drag him down to the gutter. If she wanted to have a shitty life then fine, but Jeremy would have to get away from her, and fast.

I spotted Caroline and Bonnie on the other side of the party, and Caroline looked a bit disturbed. I made my way towards them, and heard Caroline whining. "Hey girls, what's going on?" Bonnie turned to look at me while Caroline continued whining. "Boy problems," Bonnie muttered as she held Caroline from falling on the ground. I finally realized that Caroline was a bit drunk. "Why did he choose her and not me? What is it that I do wrong and the boys always choose Elena?" I turned to Bonnie for more explanations, and she sighed before she started talking. "Stefan went for a walk with Elena. Caroline tried to get him to go for a walk with her or at least dance with her, but he refused and preferred Elena instead."

"Caroline honey, it's his loss, don't bother your mind with him," I tried to comfort her. "No, it's always like that. What is it that I do wrong and she always does right?" "Caroline, it's not a competition," Bonnie scolded her. "Yes it is," she muttered as she walked away, heading to the drinks.

"Great. How am I gonna get home now? She's in no condition to drive," Bonnie sighed as she followed her with her eyes as well. "What on earth am I here for Bon?" I nudged her. That made her smile. "Thanks," she turned to look at me. That moment, a piercing scream was heard from the outskirts of the party, and I was sure it was Elena's. I spared one glance at Bonnie before bolting to the direction of the scream. I could feel others coming behind me, but I didn't even care. If Stefan had hurt Elena, I would burn him alive right where he stood.

Apparently though, she was not the one that was hurt. As I approached them, I noticed Elena crouched over a body, a young woman. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Vicki Donovan. Matt's older sister, the girl that had almost attacked me as Tyler tried to hit on me. "Somebody get an ambulance!" I yelled as I got next to Elena. I checked for Vicki's pulse. It was faint, but it was still there. She could still be saved if the ambulance got here in time. Matt was heard calling for his sister. He gasped sharply when he reached us and hurried beside me. "She's still alive, but I hope that ambulance hurries up," I informed him as I held the wound on her neck to stop the bleeding. It was a vampire bite, but it was definitely not Stefan. He was still close by, looking rather disturbed. After people started gathering to see what had happened, he slipped away, leaving the party without saying anything to anyone.

The ambulance came fast and took Vicki to the hospital. After the commotion, the party broke off real quick. I was about to get Bonnie and get out of there, when I noticed Elena talking to a sitting Jeremy. They looked like they were fighting. Elena got up with a huff and walked away. Bonnie looked at me and I nodded, so she followed Elena and I went to Jeremy. "Wanna take a walk, clear your head?" I offered, and he looked at me for a moment before nodding weakly. I pulled him up and we started walking around.

"Are you sure you wanna walk around the forest, with that animal still lurking around?" he muttered as he looked around. "There are two of us Jeremy. If it attacks, I'll say it's a pretty stupid animal, and I have a knife with me, so I'll probably gut it out. No worries there" I flashed him my pocketknife that I always carried around and he smiled weakly, snorting. "I wanna go to the hospital, check on Vick, but I'm too scared to do so. What if she…" he stopped, looking really disturbed.

"Jer, she's gonna be okay. The paramedics said that she'll be fine, the wound was not that big. The question is though, now that this happened, do you realize how serious life is?" He turned to look at me, confused. "Jeremy, you can't go on hiding from the world like you do so far. Soon you'll have to get out of the protective shell you have created around you and face the facts."

"I don't know if I'm strong enough."

"You are and we both know it. Besides, you're not alone in this life Jer. There's Jenna, Elena, me, Bonnie, Matt, even Caroline. You'll never be alone Jeremy, I swear this to you. I'll help you through everything, all you have to do is ask." He smiled a sad smile and hugged me, almost crushing me against his strong chest, but I didn't complain. He needed it. I think we both did for that matter. "You are an angel Rayna, you know that?"

"More like a devil in disguise, but don't tell anyone. This'll be our little secret," I winked at him. He chuckled and hugged me again. "Now come on, let's get you home, you look like you need some sleep." "What about Vicki?" he asked, still worried. "Honey, I doubt they'll let you in this late at night. They only accept relatives now. Here's an option though. I'll take you to the hospital as soon as we finish school tomorrow so we can see how she's doing. That sounds good to you?"

He smiled again. "There's the smiling Jeremy I remember. Now come on, let's head home." He passed his arm over my shoulder and we made our way to my car. Elena's car was nowhere to be seen, so she must have taken the girls home. Jeremy hopped on the passenger's seat and I started the car, backing up from the parking space and driving around the many trees to reach the road. Pretty soon I was parked outside the Gilbert house and I took Jeremy to the door, giving a hug goodnight. Elena was already inside, talking with Bonnie. Thankfully enough, Jeremy was sober enough after our walk in the forest, so they didn't say anything. "Hey, where did you two disappear?" Jenna asked me when she heard Jeremy's door close.

"We took a walk in the forest. Jeremy needed to talk, and I offered an ear. I think I got it through his head that he needs to get over this stage of self-destruction and start living again. Don't say anything to him, he's really unstable right now, but I think I got him on the right track. Ease up on the scolding and he'll react the way we want," I advised both of them. Jenna smiled and hugged me. "Thank you so much," she whispered.

"That's what friends are for. Now, I think I'll get home, before my dad hunts me down to lock me in my room for the rest of eternity. We still have school tomorrow. Oh, by the way, I'm picking him up after school to get him to the hospital to see Vicki, so don't freak out if he's a bit late okay?" They both nodded and I smiled, waving goodnight as I made my way out of the house.

I got in my car again and drove home, thinking about the night's events. What had started as a simple high school party, ended up in an almost disaster. On the good side, Vicki was still alive despite being attacked and the whole event had finally shaken Jeremy enough so that he finally started getting over his phase. On the bad side though, we had a vampire that had no remorse in attacking an innocent girl, and so close to someone that could see him. It was not Stefan, I was sure of that, but he was also a problem. For now, I would leave him alone. If he behaved properly, I had no reason to disturb him.

As I reached my house, I spotted the same crow sitting on the tree across from my room. I smiled at it as I unlocked the front door. At least this little guy was a stable visitor, even if it was a bit weird for a crow to behave like that. The house was silent, not a single sound breaking the almost deafening silence. 'Dad must have gone to bed early,' I thought as I took a glass of water and a slice of bread from the kitchen and made my way to my room. I opened the balcony doors and looked at the tree. Sure enough, the crow was still there, not frightened at all by the sound of the balcony doors or my presence. "You must really like the bread I give you," I whispered as I broke the slice in crumbs and scattered them all over the balcony floor. "Here you go buddy," I whispered again as I winked at it and went back inside, leaving the doors open and the lights off as I changed into my night clothes. The crow flew to the balcony and started nibbling on the crumbs. 'Looks like I got a pet, and a rather strange one,' I thought as I slipped the jeans from my legs, folded them and placed them in the drawer with the others. I put on my pajama shorts and top, both a faded blue color, a gift from a friend long ago. During the entire time, I felt like someone was watching me, but I shook the feeling off. I was probably shaken with the night's events. The crow finished eating the crumbs and flew on the ledge, still looking at me. It started feeling unnatural for a bird to stay still like this, especially in the presence of a human.

I moved slowly to the balcony, and the feeling that something or someone was out there, watching me intensified. I remained calm, sure that I could retaliate if anything attacked me and patted the crow's head. It leaned against my touch, cawing slightly. We stayed silent for a while, listening to the quiet of the night. I took a deep breath, smelling the refreshing scents of the forest and patted the crow once again before I spoke. "Well, this has been fun buddy, but I have an early day tomorrow, so I'd better get to sleep. Fly by whenever you are hungry, I'll always have some bread for you. If you're good enough, I might even dig some worms from the garden. I know you'd like that. Goodnight, and say hello to Odin for me."

The crow cawed again and flew off into the night, and I smiled as I followed it with my gaze. I turned around and walked back inside, barely noticing the shadow that crossed the garden. A vampire was here, watching me as I spoke to the crow. I had heard about the powers a vampire had, but control of the animals was extremely rare. Whoever it was, they were really talented with their vampire powers, therefore quite old. I registered that in my mind and slipped under my covers, leaving it for tomorrow.

Damon POV

Well, this town had certainly changed since I last came here. I liked the way humans behaved in these days, they were so liberated it was almost too easy to hunt them down and feed on them. That girl at the party was almost too easy to catch, she was so drunk and stoned she barely resisted when I sank my fangs in her neck. It was always much better when you played with them first, but this time I just wanted to feed and get Stefan a bit unsettled, and I succeeded in both. He was furious when I mentioned feeding from Elena. The girl was practically Katherine in appearance. I didn't even want to know how that was possible, but I didn't care. I had promised my brother an eternity of misery, and he was going to get it not matter what.

I already had several side plans to make him suffer, one of them being messing with Elena's friends. The blond one was going to be really easy, she wanted someone to choose her first. Despite her good looks, she was really insecure and I could really use her to get to my brother. The other two were a different tale. I couldn't touch the Bennet witch, I would need her for the tomb later, not to mention the promise I had made to her ancestor. The third was the most peculiar of them all. She was nothing extraordinary, a regular girl in a regular town on the outside, but something about her drew my interest, I just couldn't place it. When I sent my crow in to spy on her, she wasn't scared or disgusted by it like any normal girl would do. Instead she fed it the second time and the third, she even patted it. It was like she could communicate with it.

She was a member of one of the founding families, the Silverstones. I still remembered her ancestors from my time, Leon and Victoria Silverstone. They had barely gotten married when Katherine came into town, and Leon was one of the very few that wasn't dazzled by her beauty. Sure, Victoria was a really beautiful woman and he was insanely in love with her, but he was still a man. How he had managed to keep away from Katherine was beyond me. She had tried enchanting him with her seemingly innocent looks and sparkling personality, but he still was polite with her and nothing more. Victoria had really gotten him hooked to her. Their descendant, Rayna was her name if I had heard correctly, was similar to her ancestors in many ways. She reminded me of Victoria due to the same flowing dark brown hair and the same dark eyes that Leon had, but her personality was different. I had watched her tonight as she comforted that boy that looked like he was about to kill himself. I had made a small sound and he had commented that the animal that got to that girl might attack them, but she just laughed it off by saying that she always carried a pocketknife with her. I had smirked at her comment. It would take a lot more than a pocketknife to kill me.

After I had a bit of fun riling Stefan up, I dropped by her house to see what she was up to. While my crow fed on the breadcrumbs she had gotten for him, she changed from her party outfit to her nightclothes and gave me quite a show, not that I complained. Her body was quite delicious, a treat I planned to feast on soon, but the blond one was first on my list. Perhaps I could compel them to have some fun together before I drained both of them. I flew into the night, the thoughts of such a night in my mind. I had to get the talisman from the Lockwood mansion for the ritual of the tomb. The pleasures of the flesh would have to wait for a little while.


	3. Hospitals, meetings and festivals

**_I'm back!_**

**_A little birdy told me that it would be better if I separated the dialogues so the chapters are easier to read, and I followed the very nice advice. Both the chapters I had posted so far and this new one are in that style, so you dont' get lost in the big paragraphs. _**

**_Anyway, 3rd chapter, I hope you enjoy it._**

**_Leave a little note if you want, but be kind, it's my first story._**

**_Also, I own nothing, I make no money out of this story, but I sure have a lot of fun writing it!_**

* * *

September 9th

Rayna POV

I woke up a bit earlier than usual, the events of last night still on my mind. As I took my morning shower, I decided to speak to Bonnie's grandma sometime today. She would definitely know what to do if the vampire that attacked Vicki last night and lurked on my garden after that decided to attack again. We needed to form some sort of defense plan, just in case. I got dressed and went downstairs to get some breakfast. As I opened my bedroom door, I was assaulted by the delicious smell of waffles coming from the kitchen. I rushed downstairs and sure enough, my dad was laying a plate with warm waffles on the counter, smiling as I came in. "Good morning sunshine. Sleep well?"

"Terrific, thanks. What's the occasion?"

"Nothing, just wanted to spoil my daughter. Yesterday I was a bit occupied with my latest work, but today I had no inspiration, so I thought a bit of cooking was in order to get my mind off of the writing and get the inspiration working again."

"Dad, you're the best," I kissed him on the cheek as I settled on the stool to feast on my favorite breakfast. "So, how was the party last night?" my dad asked as he settled to eat his waffles. "Well, it was okay, if not for the little accident Vicki Donovan had."

"What happened?" my dad asked, worried. "An animal attacked her, but she's okay. I'm going to the hospital after school today to check on her along with Jeremy." "Jeremy? Elena's little brother?" "He has a bit of a crush on her," I clarified.

"I see. I had heard about these animal attacks, but I never thought an animal would attack a party with so many people around, even if it was out in the forest." "Vicki had walked quite far from the party, she was a bit drunk, and so she must not have realized it." "Poor girl. She has a brother if my memory serves."

"Yeah, Matt. He was Elena's girlfriend before her parents died. They are still trying to figure everything out," I nodded. "I assume you are staying neutral in this," my dad asked as he forked another piece of his waffles. "Of course dad, you know me. Matt has asked me to try and get a good word with Elena for him, but I think she has already found someone else."

"Poor Matt. Try to comfort him, will you? He's got enough in his plate with his sister and his stupid excuse of a mother. I swear that woman is even more irresponsible than-" he cut off, lowering his head. "Than my mom, to complete your sentence. It's okay to say it dad, we both know it's true, no need to hide it," I pointed out. "I know, but psychologists say that the parent is not supposed to say mean things about the other parent in front of the child."

"Those psychologists haven't met mom, so I think it's safe to disregard their opinion."

That got him to smile again. "You have a point," he shrugged. I finished my breakfast, put my plate in the washer, kissed my dad on the cheek and left for school.

Classes were really boring that day, even with the news about Vicki's attack buzzing around all over the school. It was quite fun in the History class when Stefan managed to outsmart Mr. Tanner. I could see Matt sulking when Elena smiled at Stefan. He really had no chance at all with her now. I doubted Stefan had used compulsion on her, but you never class was over, I noticed Stefan had left one of his books behind and I hurried to take it, planning on giving it to him later today, thus seizing a chance to study him up close.

As I made my way to the parking lot, I spotted Jeremy practically bouncing with anxiety as he waited next to my car. I suppressed the urge to snort and hurried to my car. "Are we gonna go to the hospital?" he asked eagerly as I reached him. "Of course we are, I promised you, didn't I? Hop in," I winked as I unlocked my car. He got in within seconds and I backed up from the space, effectively spinning down the road, making Jeremy smile.

"Nice move," he smiled as I maneuvered around town to the hospital. "We are in a hurry, are we not?" I shrugged as we reached the hospital in record time. We both got out and went to the reception to ask about Vicki's room. We made our way there and I waited outside as Jeremy went in.

A few minutes later, Matt came, looking really tired. "Hey Matt," I greeted him, and actually startled him, since he was so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed me.

"Oh, hey Rayna. What are you doing here?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice. "I brought Jeremy, he wanted to see Vicki. He's inside right now." "Oh," was all he said before he plucked himself on the seat next to me. "How are you holding?" I asked as I rubbed his shoulder. He sighed, staring at the floor. "I don't know. This year has been crazy. Elena's parents died, she broke up with me, I gave her some space to breathe, hoping she would come back to me and now I see her with that new guy. I don't know what to do anymore," he sighed, defeated.

I kept rubbing his back, trying to comfort him. "Right now, focus on your sister. After she gets better, you can refocus on other things. How about your mom, did you contact her about Vicki?"

"I tried, but she didn't answer. I left her a message, like always. I don't even know where she is." I shook my head, not sure what to say. If I had her in front of me, I would beat her up to a bloody pulp. The woman had two children, nobody knew the father and she had practically abandoned them to their fate, hence Vicki's crappy attitude towards life. Matt was doing a lot better, but he still needed support. Now with Elena seeing Stefan, he had taken another blow, and would definitely need help to get through. "Look, just focus on Vicki. I think Jeremy will help too, last night really shook him up."

"God, I hope so. This is just all so crazy, I don't know what I'll do if I lose her too." "You won't. How is she doing with school?" "Crappy. She's always partying and doing drugs. I think she has drawn Jeremy into all of this, and he's just going along to be with her."

"Last night's events shook him, I could tell. I spoke with him last night, I think I got it in his head that he needs to stop those things and face life as it is. It might help Vicki too." "I really hope it does," he nodded.

The door of Vicki's room opened and Jeremy came out, looking a bit sad. He noticed us and came closer. "She's asleep now. She doesn't remember a thing about the attack, but she said she's not gonna get drunk again in her lifetime."

"Let's hope so. I'm gonna go in, see her as well. Thanks for coming guys," Matt gave us a sad smile. "Don't mention it man, that's what friends are for," I gave him a smile as well. His smile widened as he waved at us and went in. I turned to Jeremy, who had a sad expression on his face. "How are you?" I asked him as we exited the hospital. "Shaken up," he shrugged.

"That is actually good. If you continued with your life the way you did up until now, you were on your way for another disaster, and I'm not going to let my friend get all trampled up for nothing, I warn you," I pointed my finger at him. It actually made him crack a little smile. "Good, now let's get a nice chocolate milkshake to clean our heads," I smiled as we got in my car. "I'm definitely on board with that," he chuckled.

I dropped Jeremy at his house before I drove to the Salvatore Boarding House to give Stefan his book. It was a really lame excuse, but I had to see him up close, speak to him a little if I could. I didn't have the chance to do so yet, so this was my one and only shot.

As I drove in the round entrance, I noticed Elena's car on the driveway. What was she doing here? I parked my car behind hers, grabbed the book and went to the front door, trying to calm myself down before I knocked on the large dark door. A few moments later, Stefan answered the door, looking at me with a curious glance. "Hi," I greeted him, holding his book out.

"Hello," he answered uneasily as he took the book from my hands. "I don't know if you remember me from history class, I'm Rayna. You left it in the classroom today; I thought I'd drop it on my way home, since your place is on my way home. Nice comment on Tanner today by the way." That got him to smile a little. "Thanks. Come on in, Elena is here as well," he made space for me to go in, and I did, trying to remain calm.

I felt like I was going in the lion's den, and it wasn't far from it. We made our way to the living room, and I spotted Elena sitting on one of the sofas, looking at me with a surprised glance. Across from her, reclining on the other sofa was another man, a vampire, I was sure of it. The vibes I was getting were really dark, even darker than the ones I was getting from Stefan. He looked like he was in his mid twenties, with quite a nice body, slightly lean but also muscled, not like Stefan though.

He had dark brown hair that reached a little past his earlobes. He looked a bit pale, but that was expected since he was a vampire. He turned his head to look at us and his light blue eyes bewitched me almost instantly. They were so intense, so beautiful, as if they were calling you to lose yourself in them. I was really lucky that my heart didn't go off, it would make the smirk on his face even wider. He was cocky, that was obvious from a mile away.

Elena's voice claimed my attention again and I broke eye contact with the mystery man to face her. "Rayna, what are you doing here?" "Stefan forgot his book in history class and I thought I'd drop it by on my way home from the hospital. I just drove Jeremy to your home, Vicki is a lot better," I informed her. "Thank God. What do the doctors say?" she asked with concern.

"Matt says that Vicki is still a bit weak, but she'll be out tomorrow, if not tonight. Her recovery is quite quick." "Have they found out the animal that attacked her?" Stefan asked as he set the book on a table by the door, glancing for a second towards the other man. "No, nothing yet. I do hope they catch the monster quick; it's really sad to not be able to walk in the forest."

"Don't tell me you plan another walk around the forest like we did when we were kids," Elena scolded me. "As soon as they catch the animal, definitely. It's really torturing to stay indoors all day long. The forest around my house is really beautiful, it's almost a shame to not walk around it."

"Where do you live?" Stefan asked. "In the old Silverstone mansion. We just moved in with my dad a few days ago."

"You bought it?" "No, we owned it from inheritance, since grandma Felicia and grandpa Alistair passed away 5 years ago. We lived in Washington, but recent events led us to move here, my dad and I."

"You are of the Silverstone family then?" the mystery man asked this time, holding a glass of bourbon in his hand. Gods, even his voice was dripping sexuality. "Yes. Rayna Saphira Silverstone; pleased to meet you. And you are?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him. "Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older and hotter brother. The pleasure is all mine, I assure you," he winked at me. Talk about a huge ego.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I'm sure it is. Well, I gotta go, I have tons of things to do before the festival tonight."

"Festival?" Stefan asked, confused. "Yeah, the night of the Comet Festival. There's a comet coming over Mystic Falls, it passes once every 145 years. The town holds a festival where we all gather in the square, light candles and watch the comet as it passes by. You should come, it's a once in a lifetime experience," I offered, even though I knew that they had probably seen it before, the last time it had passed. I heard Damon Salvatore chuckling as he gulped a little of the amber liquid. "It was nice meeting you up close Stefan," I shook his hand as he smiled politely at me. "You too, and thanks for the book." "Don't mention it, it was nothing."

"I have to go as well, I have to meet with Jenna before the festival. Are you going to go?" Elena asked Stefan as she got up as well. "Yeah, I'll drop by. If it is such an important event, we shouldn't miss it." Elena smiled at that. Those two were really hitting it off.

"I feel so neglected," Damon complained, never leaving his spot. Stefan sighed at his comment, Elena looked a bit uncomfortable, so I took matters on my own hands. "Oh, I'm sure that, with your confidence, you barely felt the blow," I smirked at him before making my way to the door. I saw Stefan smiling, trying to contain it though. Damon looked… well, he looked surprised for a moment before he resumed smirking at me. Apparently he wasn't used to girls with a backbone that were not affected by his good looks. "Any help to recover from the blow is welcome," he winked at me. Oh boy, the guy reeked of confidence. I wasn't going to bite in though.

"The blow was not fatal, I'm sure you'll recover on your own just fine," I winked at him and opened the door. "I'll see you guys at the festival tonight," I waved at Elena and Stefan as I closed the door behind me. I got in my car and drove off, feeling my heart going a thousand beats a minute. Though I had controlled my reactions in that house, I felt the after effects now, full on.

I was sure by now that Stefan was not the one that attacked Vicki. I was also sure that his brother Damon was the one, and most likely the one that was lurking under my balcony last night. He was really dangerous; I could feel it. He had flirted with me, and his eyes had caught my interest, but my knowledge of his nature held me back from falling into his death trap. He was what the legends of old would call an incubus, a male demon that enchanted innocent women, slept with them and killed them afterwards. I drove to Sheila Bennett's house, my heart finally settling to a normal rhythm. I had to speak to her, immediately.

She opened the door and stared at me with her intense green eyes, scanning me like an x-ray machine. "Rayna Silverstone, it's so good that you have returned to your hometown," she smiled at me as she let me in her home."It's good to be back Mrs. Bennet. I wish this was a social visit, but unfortunately I have come to discuss something really bad."

Her smile faded, and she motioned for me to sit on the sofa across from her favorite chair. I still remembered when I would visit her house with my grandma. While Bonnie and I would play out on the garden, the two older women would talk in hushed tones about us, discussing our future as witches, a family secret that had passed down the bloodline ever since Salem, and even before that. "Bonnie is starting to discover her powers by the looks of it," I started, getting her attention. "Yes, but it's still too early to tell her the full story of our bloodline. As for you, I feel you have almost reached your full potential," she replied, sipping on her tea.

"Far from it, I assure you, but I'm practicing regularly. My dad still thinks I have no idea of the supernatural world, but I will speak to him when the time comes. He is on the Founder's council, I am sure of that, so he probably knows a few things, but he has not spoken to me yet. He probably wants to wait until the time is right, but that's not what's important now. We have vampires in town, and I think I know who they are."

"Who?" "Those two Salvatore brothers that have arrived not that long ago. Stefan and Damon. I looked into my ancestor's notes and there were two boys that died in 1864, during the vampire mayhem that had taken over the town with the exact same names. I think it might be those two from then." "Have you touched them, felt any vibes from them?" "I went to the Boarding house today on a silly excuse to study them up close. I thought it was only Stefan that was in town, but apparently his older brother is here as well. I don't know what they're after, but we cannot let them roam around for long. The council will take action sooner or later."

"We have no choice but to stay in an observing spot for now. If another attack happens, we have to restrain them and deliver them to the council before they kill another human. It is our duty according to Mother Nature to restore the balance."

"There might be a problem. Damon can be easily taken away, since he hasn't made any public appearances, but Stefan has enrolled in high school, and Elena Gilbert is already close to him. I don't want her to have another bad incident in her life so soon after her parents' deaths."

"We have no choice Rayna. He might attack her at any given moment." "That's what troubles me most. When Vicki Donovan was attacked last night at the party, and I'm sure that Damon was the attacker, I saw the way Stefan looked when him and Elena discovered her. He was really worried." "It doesn't matter. We observe for now, and then decide what to do. I want to see how Bonnie will react to him, if she'll trust her witchy instinct. Besides, you'll be around to protect them from any harm, right?" I nodded, thinking what else was there to do. My hands were tied for the time being.

I left the older witch's house as the sun was hiding behind the thick forest tops. We had quite the talk grandma Sheila and I, and she was quite surprised to see how well informed and trained I was for my age. Due to her age and her controversial reputation among the people of Mystic Falls, she couldn't exactly walk around, asking about the two Salvatore brothers without arising suspicion, and Bonnie was still trying to figure out her powers, not really believing in them. I would have to fill the role of the spy, gather as much info on the two vampires as I could before we decided what to do about them.

I drove silently to the town square, already starting to get crowded by the people that had gathered to observe the amazing sight. I took my candle from my purse, locked my car and made my way towards Bonnie, who stood beside Matt and a surprisingly well looking Vicki. "Hey you guys, how are you doing?" I greeted them all and they all turned to smile at me, apart from Vicki. "Getting ready to watch the comet," Bonnie smiled. Vicki looked at me for a moment before walking away with a sad face. Matt went to follow her, but I stopped him. "I'll go, she looks like she could use some female company now. Don't worry, I'll keep her out of trouble." He nodded and let me go.

I followed her to the edge of the square where she sat on one of the benches. I inched closer and she raised her head to look at me. "Can I join you?" I asked her politely. She simply nodded and I sat beside her, holding my candle. "How are you feeling?" I asked after a moment of silence. "So confused, I don't even know what really happened and what didn't," she muttered. "You wanna tell me?" She stared at me for a good two minutes before she turned to stare at the empty space in front of her.

"It's all so blurry. I remember being really drunk, even confronting you about hitting on Tyler. I'm sorry about that by the way, I didn't recognize you back then." "It's alright Vick, no blood no foul. You know I would never go for Tyler, right? It would be weird to say the least." "I know. I was really drunk and stoned last night, and before I knew it, I was deep in the forest. I felt so alone, and then…something attacked me. I remember something biting my neck, but that was it. I didn't even get a look on whatever that thing was that bit me. Then, darkness."

"You are lucky you are alive Vick, you do realize that, right? That thing could have torn you apart like all those other people that were attacked before you. Maybe you should stay away from the forest for now, or at least until they catch that thing." "I know, but I have no idea what to do. School is so boring, I have no friends other than those that I get high with, and I have Tyler and Jeremy fighting all the time about me; it gets so annoying that I have no other way out than to get high and drunk."

"You have to stop all that Vick, before something really bad happens." "Who knows, if I die, that might bring my mom here," she scoffed as she stared at the sky, the comet barely visible. "And that will serve in what exactly? Sorry to say it this way, but your mom is a rather bad mom." "You think?" she chuckled darkly. "We are alike in that department you know," I nudged her gently. "Yeah, I remember how your mom behaved when you came in every summer. She really hated Mystic Falls, not that I blame her. This town sucks." "And what exactly are you doing to get away if you hate it so much? Vicki, you are a brilliant girl, I know that well. Why do you let your crappy family life get to you that way? You can finish high school and get away from here forever, get a new life somewhere else."

"You make it sound so easy," she sighed. "It is if you want to make it happen. You just have to decide it. After all, we can all help you make it real." "Who's we?" "Me, Matt, Jeremy, your real friends, not those always high idiotic lowlifes. Dulling the pain is not a way of getting through it Vick. I know; I've been there. It won't go away until you face it head-on and destroy it, shatter it to pieces." "I don't have any friends," she muttered, looking down between her legs again. "Matt has his own problems, Jeremy is so in love with me it's getting really bad, Tyler is just using me, my mom is never here, I have no one."

"Matt loves you more than you know and I'm willing to help you get over whatever problem you have. I'm guessing he doesn't know about Tyler using you, otherwise he would have kicked his ass by now. As for Jeremy, if you don't love him, let him go on with his life. Release him, tell him you just want ot be friends. He has been hurt by the death of his parents and is looking for anything to distract himself with. Your attack actually shook him, I hope it was enough to make him realize how wrong his way of life has been so far. If you get rid of the weights you have burdened yourself with, you'll feel a lot lighter. I spent the better part of my life thinking that I had done something to upset my mother, so I tried to be like her every day, but to no avail. Until I discovered that she hated me simply because after my birth, I had drawn all the attention and she had stayed on the sideways. The moment I let all the guilt and regret behind me, I felt so much better, like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest. You should do the same with your weight. And you'll always have me as your friend, if you want me that is."

She turned to look at me and I saw a small flicker of hope at the bottom of her eyes. "You really mean that?" she asked softly. "Of course. I can understand you better than anyone around here. You ever need me, I'll be there for you, in any case and hour of the day or night. You just ring me and I'll be there to make all your problems go away like that," I snapped my fingers, smiling at her. She returned the smile, hugging me tightly. "Thank you," she choked, tears evident in her voice. I held her as she cried silently, rubbing her back to sooth down her sobs. After she calmed down a little, she blew her nose, I helped her fix her makeup and we got up to get something to drink and lighten up. I spotted Jeremy looking at us from afar, but I signaled him discreetly not to come to us right now. Vicki could not handle dealing with anyone else right now. He frowned, but nodded.

We got a coke each, since I refused to let Vicki get even a beer in her system. I convinced her that it was not good so soon after her attack to have alcohol in her system and it was good to start the rehab from this very moment. Thankfully enough, she found it a good idea. We sipped on our drinks and I scanned the crowd, spotting Elena talking with Stefan, Caroline staring at them from afar, a frown marring her face, and Damon Salvatore eyeing her with interest from a corner of the square. He caught me staring at him and sent me a sly smile along with a wink. I raised my eyebrow at him, rolling my eyes at his pathetic attempt. The guy just wouldn't take no for an answer. Was he really trying to get me to his bed? He would be sorely disappointed. I was no chew toy for the big bad vamp to play with.

I ignored him and focused on our conversation with Vicki. We talked for quite some time, until Matt came to join us, an incredulous expression on his handsome face. I guessed this was the first time he had seen his sister so alive in years. "Hey, it's getting rather late, maybe we should get home, what do you think Vick?" he asked her. "Yeah, I actually feel really exhausted. I could use a good night's sleep after the awful sleep I got at the hospital. Those beds are really bad for your back," she commented and both me and Matt laughed at her comment. She joined in and we said our goodnights before I watched them walk away. I had managed to fix yet another problem, or at least I had set the foundation for the solution. I knew it wouldn't be easy for Jeremy to let Vicki go, but I would see what I could do about that later. Now, everything seemed to be in balance, between them at least. I had gotten them both to stop drinking and doing drugs, and that was a big step.


	4. School, shopping and a weird dinner

_**Yet another chapter is here!**_

_**I'm so happy that this story has attracted so much attention, it makes the muse really happy, and she really thanks you for that. **_

_**So, I'm sure you realized that I plan on keeping Vicki around. I really hated it when they killed her in the show, and to be honest, that whole ghost thing was not really a favorite, so I plan on keeping it to a minimum. (Plus I used to hate ghosts as a kid, so that played a part.)**_

_**Any ideas on how to develop this story are welcome, as is constructive critisism, but no flames please. **_

_**Now, on with the story!**_

* * *

September 10th

Rayna POV

I woke up the following morning, feeling a lot better that I had managed to start mending a few of the many problems in this town. That was my goal as a witch, to help others overcome their problems. I also had a strange itching at the bottom of my stomach, like something bad had happened overnight, but let it go. I got dressed in a nice light blue skirt and a floral top, feeling like going a bit girly today. Maybe Caroline's style was getting to me, but I felt good, and that was the point.

Dad was in the kitchen, sipping on his coffee and nearly spit it all over his newspaper when he saw me. I chuckled as I got a bowl of cereal and some orange juice for breakfast. "Something wrong dad?" I giggled at his still wide-eyed expression.

"No, it just it's the first time I see you in an outfit like this. As far as I know, you are not the skirt type. I distinctly remember that you hate them with a passion."

"I know, but today I felt like wearing a skirt. Maybe I've been hanging around Caroline a little too much. Anyway, what do you think, do I look good?" I asked as I spun around, giving him a full view of my outfit. "Well, it's certainly different than your usual style, but it looks really good on you. Maybe you should continue hanging around Caroline, she seems to have a very nice influence on you," he smiled teasingly, knowing that I would never be like Caroline.

"Dad, don't expect me to become a Barbie overnight. Deep down I'm still a tomboy and I always will be. That part of me will never change no matter what." "Heaven forbid," he held his hand over his heart in mock horror and I rolled my eyes at him. I waved my goodbyes at him and drove to school, eager to see how Jeremy and Vicki were doing.

Bonnie and Elena were at the school parking lot when I arrived, talking. Bonnie seemed really disturbed, and that got me worried. "Hey girls, where's the fire?" I asked as I reached them and they both turned to look at me with wide eyes. They both scanned me up and down, with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

"What?" I asked, even though I knew what had caused their reaction. "Did you lose a bet with Caroline?" Bonnie asked as she looked me over once again. "No. What is up with everyone today? Can't I dress a little more girly than usual without everyone staring at me like I just landed on Earth from Mars? I decide to change my look a bit, like any normal teenage girl does and everyone looks at me like I wore my clothes inside out. Do I look that bad?"

"No, it's just that…you're different. Good different, don't get me wrong, but certainly different. I think the last time I saw you in a skirt was when we were 9, and your mom had forced you to wear that green skirt for the summer festival celebrations," Elena responded this time.

I groaned at the memory. "Don't remind me that hideous piece of clothing. I'm not a fan of skirts, but that was the skirt from hell. I tore that thing in shreds the moment I made it to my room."

"Why?" Bonnie asked, snorting. "It was made of some fancy wool material that stung my skin and I wasn't allowed to run around in it, since it was a designer piece of art according to my mom and it cost a lot. You should had seen her face when she came to my room and saw it in pieces. She totally freaked out and started yelling."

We all laughed as the first bell rang, signaling the beginning of classes. "Where is Caroline, she's gonna miss History first period," Bonnie commented as she looked around for our blond friend. "Maybe she's already inside," I commented as I looked around, not finding her anywhere.

"Her car is missing from the parking lot, so she's definitely not here yet. I'm really starting to worry," Bonnie said as she got her cellphone out and quickly texted her. "Bon, she probably stayed up late last night and couldn't get up in time for school today. I'm sure she'll show up eventually," Elena tried to calm her down, but I saw that Bonnie was still worried.

We made it to the classroom and I sat beside Matt, sparing a glance at him. He winked at me, looking rather happy today. "Hey Matt, why so chipper?" I asked. "Vicki is getting better with each day. Last night, I watched as she tossed all the pills and drugs she had stashed in the toilet and flushed. It seems that your advice and influence is really helping her." I smiled at the sound of that. That was indeed great news. "Still no reply," Bonnie cut in from Matt's other side. "What's up?" Matt asked as Mr. Tanner came in the classroom. "Caroline probably fell asleep and is going to miss first period," I informed him, whispering as the teacher started taking attendance before he started the lesson.

When Caroline hadn't appeared by the end of the third period, even I had started worrying. Bonnie kept texting her, but got no response and Elena had tried calling her house a couple of times, but no response either. It was so unlike Caroline to ditch from school for an entire day without telling us anything. At lunch, I left the girls on their table as they kept trying to reach Caroline and went to sit with Vicki. I wanted to see how she was doing today. I saw Tyler looking at us with a confused expression, but I ignored him as I sat across from Vicki, who seemed to be getting so much better. I could see a definite change of attitude. She seemed determined to make a change towards everything, and I was more than willing to help her with anything she might need.

"So, how do you feel today?" I asked her as I popped a fry in my mouth. "I feel so much better, really," she smiled at me. "Last night, I got every drug I had in my room and flushed them all down the toilet. No more of that stuff for me. I'm still craving them, but I want to get my mind off of them."

"I can help you with that, it's called shopping therapy. We can go after school if you want," I winked at her, making her snort in amusement. "Now that sounds like a great idea. Apart from that, I made a few decisions about my new way of life."

"Wanna share them with me?"

"Of course, I want your opinion on them. First, I'm breaking up with both Tyler and Jeremy. If I'm gonna make a fresh start, I cannot have anyone from my dark past weighing me down. I know it's gonna be hard, especially in Jeremy's case, and that's where I need your help on that one. You are really close to him, you can drop a few hints, right?"

"Yeah, though it's gonna crush him. You have become sort of a crutch in his crappy life. We'll have to get his attention on something else. Just be careful on how you are going to tell him, you need to let him down easy. He has also decided to cut all the crap he's addicted to, and he needs support. I'll try and think of something else to get his mind on to distract him from the break up. What about Tyler though, are you sure he's gonna let you go that easily? He's a macho type, and his kind doesn't like being dumped. They usually get to do that."

"I know, and that's exactly the reason I want to break it off with him. He always saw me as a piece of ass, not a girl that he could have a normal relationship with. He is used to it, fooling around with lots of girls that will swoon over the fact that he is the mayor's kid. Remember that encounter we had at the party?" I nodded, remembering the flirting or at least his attempts at flirting when I had arrived at the woods party.

"I know. It's the hormones that drive him wild. Boys in his age usually think with their bottom head, not the one on their shoulders." Vicki snorted at my comment, and I joined in. "You're right again. Second, I need to think what I'm going to do with my life. If I'm gonna get out of this town, I need to choose my future career choices. It won't be easy, but what is easy in this life?"

"Nothing, I can assure you. Have you made any thoughts on that front?"

"No, but I'll work on it as soon as I complete the first part of my new life plan. How am I doing so far?"

"Great, more than great actually. Matt seemed really happy that you decided to start over your life."

"Really?" she asked, hope lighting her eyes. "Really," I smiled in reassurance. "Thanks Rayna, you are really a great friend."

Across the dining hall, I could see Stefan Salvatore approaching Elena and Bonnie, and Bonnie making a hasty escape after a few seconds. It seemed that her witch's instincts had alerted her of Stefan's dangerous nature. The other question was though, what was Stefan trying to do with Elena?

After Vicki and I finished lunch, we both went to our classes and I came across Jeremy as I was about to go into Chemistry. "Hey Jer, what's up?" I asked him, noticing with delight that his eyes were normal, not glazed, which meant he was off the drugs today. "I saw you talking to Vicki during lunch today. How is she doing?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. I knew he was really interested in Vicki, but she was just his way of coping with all the crap that had been going on in his life. Losing her would be a great blow for him. "She's doing a lot better actually. I think that attack really shook her up. She told me that she wants to make a new start in her life, erase all the dark past and clear her life from the bad influences."

"That's good, considering how deep in the gutter she had gone. I don't know though. While I was getting high with her, I felt like she was my everything, like the only person that understood me. Now, I feel like I don't have any feelings for her, romantic at least. Maybe it was all the drugs, but I have no idea what to do. I wonder if that is going to hurt her and shake her from her new line in life. I don't want to throw her back in the world of drugs if I abandon her."

I held myself from squealing in delight at the sound of his words. It was like the fates had decided to let everything go in the way I wanted them to. "I don't know Jer, you'll have to discuss that with her. Maybe you can go to being friends now that you both left the dark world of drugs. You can be two good friends that made it out of that hellish place in one piece."

"That was my thought exactly. I think I'm gonna talk to her after school, try and feel her out before I tell her my thoughts."

"That would be the best thing you could possibly do. Now I have to go inside, otherwise Mr. Espinoza will have my ass if I'm late. I'll see you later okay?"

"Sure. Bye," he waved as he rushed to get to his class. I made it to my seat and barely registered when the teacher came in. Things were getting so much better than I thought, and without any real interference from me. Life was really smiling.

During History class, the weirdest thing happened. Here we were, sitting in class, listening to Mr. Tanner telling us about various dates of important events, when the snobbish teacher asked Elena about the date Pearl Harbor happened, and since she didn't know the answer, Stefan answered for her. Tanner obviously wanted to put Stefan back in his place, so he started asking him the dates of various historical events. When he got to the last question, the date of the Korean War, Stefan answered a date, which I had no idea if it was correct, but from the look on Tanner's face, Stefan had finally made a mistake. Tanner tried to correct him, but Stefan replied that he was sure about it, and the teacher should check his sources. Tanner asked for someone in the class to check it, and truly enough, Stefan was right. We all clapped for him, and Tanner looked more disturbed than ever.

It reminded me of the incident those two had on the very first day of school, when Stefan had corrected Tanner on his facts about the battle of Willow Creek and the civilian casualties that occurred here in Mystic Falls. According to historical facts, 27 civilians had perished in a fire in Fell's church, caused by Confederate soldiers. That shut Tanner up, making the whole class giggle in response. What a sight that was. Of course, I knew what had really happened back then, and that those 'civilians' were not that innocent, but at least Tanner got humiliated, and that was quite a good thing. I had never liked that guy; he was way too cocky for my taste.

After classes ended, I caught up with Bonnie and Elena at the cheerleading practice. They hadn't been able to get in touch with Caroline all day and Elena was one step away from calling her mom. "El, if you call Sheriff Forbes and tell her that Caroline missed an entire day of school, she'll probably sweep the town with her deputies, searching every house until she finds her daughter. That is the last thing Caroline needs right now. We can go by her house later and see if she's there. We can have the pleasure of scolding her for not getting in touch with us all day but without getting the Sheriff involved," I offered, actually enjoying myself. Okay, I was worried about Caroline, but what was the hurt in having a little bit of fun? "She's got a point," Bonnie agreed. We all sat on the grass of the football field, watching as the boys practiced.

"Hey, did I tell you guys about the way Stefan caught the ball Tyler Lockwood tossed at him today?" Elena suddenly said, getting both our attention, though Bonnie frowned at the mentioning of Stefan's name. "What happened?" I asked, getting Elena's attention from noticing Bonnie's discomfort. "We were talking about something beside the place were some of the jocks tossed a ball around when Stefan suddenly turned around and caught the ball Tyler tossed at him, stopping it from hitting his head. It was extraordinary, and more importantly, he tossed the ball back to Tyler with expert technique. I told him he should join the football team, I hope he listens to me," she finished as she glanced towards the boy in question that sat on the bleachers, watching as the other boys practiced. "Did you see that Bonnie?" I asked the dark skinned girl, getting her attention from whatever thoughts clouded her mind.

"No, but I heard about it. A lot of students were impressed by the sound of it," she commented. "Well, I don't know if Tanner will accept him, especially after that incident in History. How on earth does he know all that stuff? He doesn't look like a geek," I asked, trying to sound normal. "I asked him the same thing after class. He says he has solved a lot of crossword puzzles," Elena replied before turning to our caramel skinned friend.

"You don't really like Stefan, do you?" she asked Bonnie, observing her closely. "It's not that I don't like him, it's just that he's a newcomer, we don't know anything about him yet, that's what's got me worried," Bonnie defended. "I have an idea then. How about you come to my place tonight, have dinner with Rayna, Stefan and me, so we all get to know him better and get your worries taken care of," Elena suggested, making Bonnie tense. "I…I don't know," Bonnie hesitated. "Come on, please, for me," Elena begged. "I mean, first you tell me to go for it and then you tell me to go slow? It's kinda contradicting you know," Elena replied.

"She's got a point Bon. But don't worry, you won't be alone with him. Elena will be there, so will I, what on earth can go wrong?" I offered, hoping to get her to agree. This presented a perfect opportunity to get to know a lot more things about him; I couldn't let it slip jut like that. "Okay, I guess I can come tonight. I mean, I'm probably just being paranoid with what my grandma has been saying to me about my family history and the whole witchy thing. It might calm me down to get to know him better and get some of the mystery unveiled."

I smiled reassuringly at her as a beautiful blue Camaro parked on the lot behind us and we all froze as Caroline came out of the passenger's seat, looking just fine, after kissing the driver of course, who turned out to be none other than Damon Salvatore. He watched as Caroline made her way towards the practice area, and he smirked when he saw we were staring at him. Caroline passed us by and looked at Elena before she spoke. "I got the other brother, I hope you don't mind," she said with a tone I had never heard her using ever before. I stared after her with a dumbfounded expression on my face that was the same Bonnie and Elena had on their faces. I turned to glare at Damon, but his smirk just widened as he backed out of the parking spot and left. What the hell was going on? This was definitely not good.

During practice, I watched as the girls practiced, but Elena was having such difficulties that Caroline took her out and told her to just observe today, in a rather harsh tone I might add. Elena went to sit on the bleachers, watching as the boys practiced, Stefan among them. I had to admit, he was really good. I could also see that the boys were giving him a really bad time, sort of a revenge thing. He was handling himself really well though.

By the end of the match, Stefan had even managed to impress Coach Tanner with his skills, earning him a place on the team. I could see Matt walking up to him and I was worried that he might attack him or something, but they just talked for a moment and then separated, Stefan went to Elena and I approached Matt, hoping to ease him up with the blow he got this time. It was like Stefan was taking his place in everything.

"Hey Matt, how are you?" I asked, getting his attention. He looked at me with a sad face, glancing towards Elena and Stefan's spot. "Oh," I muttered as I saw the two lovebirds walking away, talking. "It's like he's taking my spot in everything. First my girlfriend, now my team. I know he's good at football, hell, I saw it today, but it still hurts. I thought he was going to be just a rebound, but he seems to be getting closer to her as every day goes by." "I know, and she seems pretty enthusiastic about it. Sorry Matt," I offered, rubbing his arm, trying to offer some comfort.

"It's okay, I just have to accept that I lost her. Maybe it's time to move on. At least Vicki is getting better, so not everything in my life is total crap," he shrugged, making me smile sadly at him. "That's the spirit, think positive. By the way, have you seen Vick? We were supposed to go shopping today after school." "Yeah, she was talking to Jeremy last I saw her. She was in the hall, but there she is," he motioned towards the edge of the field. Truly enough, Vicki stood there with a smile on her face, waving towards us. We waved back and Matt went to change from his football uniform and I made my way towards her.

"Hey, what's up?" I smiled as I reached her spot. "Everything is going so great I can hardly believe it. I just talked to Jeremy, and he was not crushed that I told him I just wanted to be friends with him. We even decided to go to a concert tonight, as friends of course. I cannot believe it how my life is going all better now." "I told you that everything would be fine, didn't I? Now come on, let's go get you a nice outfit for tonight. The rebirth of Vicki Donovan starts right now!"

We both laughed as we made our way to my car. I noticed the blue Camaro parked two spots away, Damon leaning against the car, his arms folded over his chest, watching us the entire time as we got in the car. "Who's that?" Vicki asked me as she eyed him with interest. "Caroline Forbes's latest boyfriend. I think they spent the whole day together, she didn't even show up at all in class today." "Wow, he must have some stamina," she giggled, and I could practically see Damon smirking widely at that, sure that he had heard it. "Personally, I think he's a bit creepy. Too mush swagger for my taste. I prefer his brother, he seems a bit more down to earth. Not that I'll make a move, he's dating Elena, but if I had to choose between the two, I would choose the younger one. The older has too much cockiness for me."

"Well, since both of them are taken, who are you going for?" Vicki asked with a giggle. "I'm still scouting the area. I'm sure one of them will catch my eye eventually. Come on now, let's get shopping, I really need to let off some steam." I drove away, catching the face of Damon as we passed him by. He was frowning, and really bad by the looks of it. I definitely had managed to upset him, and even though I shouldn't feel that way, I felt so proud of myself.

We were at our third store, trying out outfits with Vicki, chatting lightly as we went in and out of the dressing rooms. "So, how's it going with the new life plan, any progress other than on the Jeremy front?" I asked her as I tried on a nice red dress with a low V cut. It felt really good, and looked fabulous on me. "Well, I plan on breaking up with Tyler real soon, I cannot have him thinking I'm one of his regulars. I've been ridiculed long enough." "He won't let you go so easily. I know his type; guys like him get really angry when a girl dumps them. Their pride is everything to them." "I know. I cannot stand him pushing me around anymore though, I've had enough of that. He can get really rough if he gets angry," she finished quietly, but I still heard her.

I got out of the dressing room to look at her, make sure she meant what I thought she meant. She got out as well, wearing a nice pair of black leather pants that really complimented her legs. "Vick, was he rough on you?" I asked her, and she turned to look at me, her eyes like that of a deer caught in the headlights. "Sometimes, when he had a few too many drinks. At first, I liked his wildness, but then he got too wild for me." "Did he hurt you in any way?" I pressed on, hoping that Tyler hadn't been that stupid. I would tear his head off if he had hurt her, way before Matt even had the chance.

She hesitated to answer, and I got my answer right away. "Vicki, did he rape you?" I asked, hoping to all the gods of the earth that he hadn't done something like that. "No, not exactly at least," she shook her head. "Then what exactly did he do?" I pressed on. "It was just that, our first time was a bit rushed for me. I was so drunk that night that I barely remember anything. The bruises on me the next morning spoke for themselves, but my memories are still a bit blurry. The second time was a lot better. Rough, but better than the first time. I mean, I know that the first time is supposed to be painful for every girl, right?" "Yeah, that's what they say, not that I know." "This dress looks really good on you, it's a definite win," Vicki turned the conversation elsewhere, and I dropped the subject. For now.

I drove her back to her house so she could get ready for the concert and rushed to my own place to get ready for the dinner at Elena's. I took a shower, hoping it would relax me, but it did little to calm down the nerves that had formed a knot in my stomach. So many things were happening, and I had little to no idea of what to do to keep everyone in check. I was no control freak, but I knew that if I didn't do anything, things would go out of control and a lot of people would get hurt.

I got out of the shower, blow-dried my hair and styled them to soft waves, grabbed a pair of light purple underwear to put on and went in my huge closet to decide what to wear tonight. I had to be nice, but not overly sexy, in case Stefan would get the wrong message. I decided on a dark purple sweater with a V-neck, a pair of dark jeans and my black and white ballerina flats. I put on a little makeup, checked myself in the mirror one last time and went downstairs to look for my dad.

I found him in the library, studying an ancient looking book. "Hey dad, would I be a terrible daughter if I left you alone at dinner tonight? Elena invited me over, sort of a girls' dinner thing; Bonnie will be there too," I asked reluctantly. "Honey, Elena could really use your presence right now. Both her and Jeremy have gone through a lot, they need friends. Besides, I have a meeting with a few friends for drinks, a sort of catch up thing to reminisce the old days, so I'll be out as well. I won't be alone, I assure you."

I smiled, kissing him on the cheek before leaving him to his studies. "Thanks dad, you are the best dad in the world!" I yelled as I opened the front door to leave. "I know. Have fun tonight, but not too much!" he yelled back and I giggled in response.

I drove to Elena's place, and Bonnie's Toyota was already parked out front. I locked my beauty and knocked on the door. Elena answered the door a few second later, a smile on her face. "Hey, right on time! Come on in," she motioned and I complied, entering the lovely house. I made my way to the kitchen, where pop music could be heard. I found Bonnie leaning against the counter, chopping vegetables. "Hey girl," I smiled at her and she returned it, although a bit weakly. I could tell she was still worried about tonight, I just hoped she would loosen up and enjoy herself.

We spent the next two hours improvising on the dinner and discussing various things. At one point, Bonnie said something weird. "I keep seeing the numbers 8, 14 and 22. It drives me crazy," she huffed, slicing some bacon. "Odd choice of numbers, since they are not connected in any way. 8 plus 6 equals 14, and 14 plus 8 equals 22. Logically, the next one would be 28." "How so?" Bonnie asked. Well, if we assume that the next number of the sequence can be found if we add 6, like with the first two ones, 22 plus 6 equals 28. Then again, it's just a theory," I shrugged.

"Maybe we should play the lottery," Elena teased, making both me and Bonnie roll our eyes. "Now where did I put those serving spoons?" Elena wondered, looking around. "Second drawer to the left," Bonnie replied immediately, looking a bit weird. Elena opened the drawer that Bonnie suggested, and the spoons were indeed in there. "You've been in this house so many times, you probably remembered from then," Elena tried to reason with her as the doorbell rang.

Elena went to answer it and Bonnie glanced at me, uneasiness and slight fear in her eyes. "Bonnie, relax, or you'll go crazy. My grandma had a thing for the occult and those things as well, so it's okay. You should ask your grandma, she's probably the only person who can tell you about your nature and answer some of your questions," I urged her. "You're right," she nodded as we heard the door closing and two sets of footsteps making their way to the kitchen. I took a deep breath to face the weirdness of this dinner.

To say that the tension in the room could be cut with a knife would be an understatement. We were all so silent, I was sure I could hear the food crunching in Bonnie's mouth. Thankfully, Elena decided to break the awkward silence, with hopes that somehow this night wouldn't be a total disaster. "So, did Tanner give you a hard time at football practice today?" she asked Stefan. "Well, he took me in the team, so I'm guessing he liked me enough."

"He should, you are really good. Bonnie you should had been there today, it was amazing. Tyler Lockwood tossed the ball at Stefan and-" "Yeah, I head about it," Bonnie interrupted her, bringing the tension back to our little gathering. "Well, it's a bit of a wonder that he accepted you, especially after you humiliated him in History class today. Don't get me wrong, he was asking for it, but he's the teacher, we can't go up against him too much, otherwise he'll fail us for all eternity," I cut in, trying to relieve the situation. "Mr. Tanner is really competitive, but he must have his facts straight, or he'll pass down the wrong knowledge to the students. If the chain reaction starts, there's no stopping it," he shrugged. "Good point," I nodded, taking another bite of the food.

A few more moments passed in the same silence, until Elena broke it again. "Bon, why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Bonnie looked a bit uneasy, not sure what to talk about. "Um, my parents are divorced, my mom left when I was four, I live with my dad," she said dismissively. "No, I meant about the witches," Elena shot back, and Bonnie tensed, as did I, I was just better at hiding it. Stefan looked at all of us, obviously confused. "Bonnie's family has a history of witchy heritage, it's really cool," Elena said with enthusiasm. "Cool is not that word I would use," Bonnie retorted. "Actually, it's quite interesting," Stefan cut in. "I have read somewhere that a few Celtic Druids migrated here in the 1800s."

"Actually, my family came by way of Salem," Bonnie corrected him. "Really? Salem witches?" Stefan looked at her, obviously interested. "Yeah," Bonnie nodded. "I would say that's pretty cool," Stefan added, earning my interest as well. "How's that?" I asked, now a bit curious about his thoughts on my kind. "It's just my personal opinion, but I think that Salem witches are heroic examples of female individualism and nonconformity," he replied, making Bonnie ease up a little. "Yeah, they are," she nodded, smiling a bit.

Then, the doorbell rang. "Now who is that?" Elena asked as she got up to answer the door. I smiled and winked at Bonnie, relieved that she was feeling a bit closer to Stefan, though I had no idea how her grandma would react to that. "Surprise!" a very chirpy voice said from the front entrance, and I recognized it immediately. Caroline was here?

"Bonnie said you were doing a dinner, so we brought dessert," Caroline added, sounding so chipper it annoyed me. "I hope you don't mind," a male voice said, and Stefan stiffened. He got up quickly, making his way to the door in almost a flash. I followed close by, Bonnie right behind me. Caroline got in, dressed in a really floral dress, so like her style, but what drew my attention was the scarf she wore on her neck. Scarves were never a part of her normal wardrobe, so she was trying to hide something, and I could make a very good guess as to what that was.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked his brother, his tone bordering on hostile, but that didn't seemed to affect Damon in the littlest bit. "Just waiting for Elena to invite me in," Damon shrugged, teasing his younger brother. "Oh sure come-" Elena started, but thankfully enough, Stefan cut in before she could complete the sentence. "No, he doesn't have to, I mean, we were just finishing up," Stefan tried to reason with her. "Come on, get in here," Caroline said merrily, holding a cake in her hands. "You should go Damon," Stefan tried once again, almost glaring at his older brother, but had little to no effect on him. "No, it's fine, come on in," Elena said, and I cringed inside. She had no idea what she had just done.

Damon gave his brother a smirk before crossing the threshold without difficulty. Stefan sighed, defeated as he turned to look at Elena. "You have a beautiful home Elena," Damon said, looking around. "Thanks," she replied. "Hey Car, why don't you give me that so I can serve a piece for everyone," I interrupted, trying to break through the tension. "Elena, where are the small dishes?" I asked my brunette friend as I took the cake from Caroline's hands, getting Elena out of the trance she had gone in. "I'll help you," she replied as I went in the kitchen. Bonnie was already gathering the dishes from the table. She glanced once at Damon Salvatore and resumed her work. I guessed she was not feeling him yet.

After we served cake to everyone, we all sat in the living room, sipping on some coffee and talking about various stuff when the conversation turned to Stefan's latest achievement, his admission to the school football team. "I still can't believe how Tanner let you in the team. I mean, after what you did to him at history class. I bet Tyler is seething," she chirped happily, too happily for my taste. "You didn't see the half of it. You should have seen today's debate between Tanner and Stefan. You really nailed him," I smiled at Stefan, and I could swear he blushed, faintly but it was still there. "Way to go Stef. At least you finally got out of your shell. That's what I always keep telling him, to live his life to the fullest," Damon cut in, making Stefan tense right away. "That's why I urged him to try for the team. I told you it would be a great idea," Elena smiled at him, and Damon frowned slightly. He seemed really annoyed that Stefan was drawing Elena's attention.

"You on the other hand Elena, were less than adequate today. I know it's just because you missed summer camp. How are you going to learn all those routines?" Caroline sounded desperate, making me seethe at her insensitivity. "I can help her practice, she'll be fine," Bonnie retorted, trying to ease the blow, but Caroline gave Elena the final hit with her next words. "Well, I guess we can put her in the back," she shrugged. I was more than willing to break her neck, but I knew she had to be under Damon's compulsion to say such things. The real Caroline was not so insensitive. "I can help her as well. With my dancing training and Elena's natural talent, I will have her up to speed and she'll be the best in no time," I cut in, winking at Elena, trying to encourage her. "You've had dancing training?" Damon asked, turning his attention to me. "Yeah. Four years of classical ballet, two of freestyle and three of ballroom dancing. I'm currently studying more alternative styles, just for fun. I've always liked dancing."

"You know, I could never imagine that the always dirty girl that ran around with mud on her pants would come to love dance so much. At least it turned you into a more feminine person. You were a real tomboy when you were little," Caroline retorted, making Damon snort. "I was always into dancing Caroline, even when I was a tomboy as you called me. How do you think I managed to get to you every time during the mud wars? No person can bend around corners like I did without extensive stretching lessons. It was certainly fun to avoid your shots, not that you had much aim, but still," I said nonchalantly, rendering her speechless. "Mud wars?" Stefan asked curiously, staring at me.

"Yeah, the famous Mystic Falls Mud Wars. They took place every year, on July 14th," Elena chuckled. "Yeah, it was one of the activities the grownups had for the kids so we could get some of our energy out on something without getting in too much trouble. Rayna's team always came out as the winner," Bonnie smiled as she looked at me. "The Wolverines, my old team. Those were the days," I sighed, remembering those days that none of us had any care for tomorrow. We played like our lives depended on it.

"Who was on the team, or did it change every year?" Stefan asked, now interested in the weird turn the conversation had taken. "Well, the permanent members were me, Matt, Jeremy and that older boy Ben, but a few others joined us every year. We were undefeated; made Tyler furious and muddy every time," I chuckled, remembering how Tyler looked at the end every time. "That sounds like fun," Damon smirked at me. "Trust me, it was. Though Tyler would get carried away sometimes and his parents would drag him away every time as he screamed that he would get us next year. He really is one for competition," I nodded. "I wonder how he's going to react with Stefan on the team this year. I'm sure he's going to give you a hard time," Caroline said. "I'll be fine," Stefan assured her.

"Just don't let his snarky comments get to you. He can be a real pain when he loses," I added, sipping on my coffee. "Well, on that other subject, Elena, you should really start training, you are way behind schedule, and we have our first game tomorrow. I can just keep you out of it this time, but if you can't keep up, I'll have to think of something else. I know that your parents' death has taken its toll on you, but we are still here for you," Caroline tried to be sympathetic, and failing miserably. God, I swore she was one comment away from getting her neck snapped by yours truly. Whatever command Damon had given her, it was turning her into a real bitch. "It's okay, the death of a loved one can really make your world flip upside down. Don't we know that well Stefan?" Damon asked his brother, earning a scowl from him. "I don't think it's the appropriate thing to discuss right now," Stefan replied tightly. "You're right, I'm sorry. It wouldn't be a good idea to bring up **her**," Damon replied, nodding. Okay, this was getting really frustrating.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go do the dishes. If Jenna comes home and see all that mess in her sink, she's gonna have a heart attack, I'm sure," Elena said, getting up and heading to the kitchen. "I'll help you," I offered, and Bonnie got up to collect the empty mugs from the coffee table.

We spent the next half hour doing the dishes and listening to Elena as she quietly explained the situation that Damon had brought up. It seemed that the Salvatore brothers had dated the same woman for some time, and in the end they both ended up losing her on a tragic fire. I stayed quiet, reminding myself to check on the records from that time to see what exactly had happened, or at least my ancestor's side of things.

The front door was heard closing as Jeremy came in, looking happier than ever. "Hey Jer, how was the concert?" I asked him. "It was greater than ever, you should have come with us, we had a blast." "You went to a concert? With who?" Bonnie asked as we returned to the living room, obviously confused by Jeremy's happy attitude. "I went with Vicki. It was so weird seeing her so happy and alive again. I have no idea what you did Ray, but you changed her completely," Jeremy smiled at me. "I did nothing Jer, I assure you. Vicki just needed someone to support her, a girl, not a boy. Matt is doing a great job, but she just needed some girl time. I'm sure she's going to go down the right path."

"You are friends with Vicki Donovan?" Caroline asked, looking disgusted. "Why so surprised Car, she's not an alien," I shrugged. "I know, but she's into drugs, that can never be good. My mom has arrested her more than once while she was drunk or high." "And what did you do to help her to get away from that stuff?" I retorted, folding my arms over my chest. "What are you talking about, what could I do to help her?" Caroline defended. "You enjoy sitting by while a girl of your age, a girl you have known since you were infants slowly lets her life crumble into ruins? I just helped her before she went down completely. I guess that animal attack really shook her up, but she wouldn't had gone so low if someone was there for her from the beginning."

"Are you suggesting that I should have helped her with her addictions?" Caroline asked, surprised and offended at the same time. "I'm not suggesting anything, I'm just stating the facts," I shrugged. "Well anyway, Vicki is all better now, so no need to dwell on the past. Ray, could you come upstairs, I need your help with something," Jeremy cut in before I could slap Caroline. I wanted to do it so much, and maybe that would get Damon's compulsion off of her. "Sure Jer, lead the way," I nodded at him, climbing up the stairs with him.

He led us to his room, waited until I got in and closed the door behind me. "What's wrong Jer?" I asked him, worried a bit that something had gone wrong during the concert. "Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to share with you the great news. You were right, Vicki took it so well when I mentioned that I just wanted to be friends with her. It was almost surreal to watch as she agreed with me. You didn't tell her anything, did you?" Jeremy asked, watching me closely. "No Jeremy, but I did ask her what she was planning to do with her life, and she told me that she wanted to break up with both you and Tyler, and she was worried about how you will take it. She cares about you, as a friend I mean. She didn't want to hurt your feelings is all."

"I know, that's what she told me. She also said that she might need my help with the whole Tyler thing, the guy won't let her go so easily. She told me that he even forced her to have sex with him a few times." "I know, and for that alone I wish I could snap him in two, but he's not worth the effort. He'll put up a fight for her rejection for sure. She'll need allies. If Matt finds out about the whole thing, all hell is going to break loose." "I'm willing to punch the guy to a bloody pulp," Jeremy gritted through his teeth. "Jer, that's a bit impossible and you know it. He's a football player, he's got more muscles than you. I say leave the hitting to Matt, you just keep Vicki away from him until he realizes that he's lost her."

"That I can do. On another note, who are the two strangers downstairs? The one is Stefan Salvatore, I remember him from the Comet Festival, but who's the other?" "His older brother Damon, he's dating Caroline. We had a dinner tonight, me, Elena, Bonnie and Stefan, until Damon and Caroline decided to crash in." "He sure looked creepy enough, Damon I mean." "He's not creepy, just overly cocky. Kinda reminds me of my ex boyfriend Chris. His attitude was exactly the same." "You never told me you had a boyfriend back in DC. What was he like?" " Total cocky asshole, just like Damon. Overly confident, like he owns the whole world and expects all the girls to swoon over him as soon as he enters a room."

"Sounds like a charmer. Why did you break up?" "He expected me to make sure my parents somehow get along so I wouldn't have to move here. He even asked me what I had done to my mother for her to hate me so much." "All in all, he was totally blind. No, scratch that. Even a blind man could see your mother's insecurities and crappy attitude towards everyone. I remember her when you came down the stairs of your house dressed in that cute navy blue dress. She was seething, even if she was wearing that sexy, tight red dress. She hated it when you drew the attention of everyone to you."

"Please, stop reminding me of her. I'm desperately trying to get her out of my mind. Come on, let's go down, I think there's some cake left from the one that Caroline brought tonight. You hungry?" "Famished. Cake huh, now that sounds like a great idea," he smiled as we opened the door of his room and headed downstairs.

Stefan was getting ready to go home, Damon with Caroline as well. "Want a lift?" Stefan asked me as he grabbed his jacket. "No thanks Stefan, I have my own car outside. I appreciate the thought however," I smiled politely at him. "What do you see in that car is beyond me," Caroline piped in, making me to roll my eyes at her comment. "Since you don't get to drive it, what's your problem Car?" I retorted.

"Which one is yours?" Damon asked, cutting Caroline as she was about to reply. "The black and red Ford Mustang GT. I worked three years in a dry cleaning store for that beauty. It's all my own work, no mechanic has ever laid a hand on her," I replied proudly. "A girl that knows her way around cars? Now that's rare, and kinda hot," he smirked at me, his light blue eyes piercing me through and through. If I didn't know his true nature, I would be melting on the inside, even with those lame pickup lines he used. "I prefer doing the changes I want without paying a small fortune every time I need my car customized," I shrugged as I put on my jacket. "How do you get the grease out of your hands afterwards?" Caroline asked, still trying to get to me.

"You'll be surprised, but nail polish remover works wonders. A little hand cream afterwards and you'd never know that I had spent my day changing my baby's oils. Anyway, I gotta go, tomorrow is a big day, the game is on. I'll see you at school guys," I waved to everyone as I opened the door. Damon and Caroline headed to his car, the beautiful blue Camaro I had seen him drive earlier today. "For the record, you have a great taste in cars," I commented as I unlocked my beauty. Damon turned to smirk to me once again, and Caroline was practically fuming at the attention he was giving me.

I drove home, thinking of the good and bad things that had happened. On the bad list, Caroline was now under Damon's spell, who was now free to roam into Elena's house whenever he wanted to. On the good list, Jeremy and Vicki had finally gotten to the friend side, without any casualties. The bad ones were obviously more than the good ones, but I couldn't do anything about that. All I could do was observe, and be vigilant. If Damon tried anything, I would have to talk to both him and Stefan. For now, I had research to do. What exactly had happened all those years ago, in 1864?

* * *

Cliffhanger! Not to worry, I plan on uploading the next one within two days!


	5. Searching the past and a football game

_**And here we are once again. **_

_**A big thank you to all the lovely reviewers and the favoriters, you guys are making me so happy. **_

_**Here's the new one, I hope you like it.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs, though I wish Santa will hear me this year and bring me Damon...:-))))))**_

* * *

September 11th

Rayna POV

I slammed my alarm clock twice, hoping it would stop ringing. No luck. I hit it again, knocking it off the nightstand and blissful silence finally filled the room. I cracked an eye open, glaring at the sunlight that filled my room and wished I could stay in bed all day. I had gotten to bed around 4, too excited and curious not to go through the archives in the library. According to Victoria, my ancestor from those days, months before the fire in the old Fell's church occurred, a young woman had arrived in town, and had asked to stay with the Salvatores. Her name, Katherine Pierce. She had recently lost her family in a great fire, and decided to move to a small town to get over the tragic events, or so she had said. According to both my ancestor's diaries, the girl was incredibly beautiful, and very charming with the male population. She had arrived along with her servant, Emily Bennet, and was welcomed by Giuseppe Salvatore, the owner of the Salvatore Estate back then and father to Damon and Stefan. Damon, the older son, was away fighting in the Civil war when she arrived, so she had the chance to enchant Stefan first. She compelled him, used him as her personal love toy and blood bag for quite some time. When Damon arrived from the war, she did the same to him.

Leon, Victoria's husband, wrote that her behavior was weird from the first days of her stay at Mystic Falls. She had tried to make him do something, order him somehow, but she was surprised when he just asked her if she was feeling well. Apparently Victoria had felt Katherine's presence from day one, so she had started pouring vervain in her husband's coffee every morning. Soon, others started behaving weirdly, and the Founder's council started getting suspicious that something really evil and dark had overcome their quiet town. Before the vampires could react, the council had caught them by surprise. They used the uproar of a battle that took place close by, went out and revealed the identities of the creatures with the help of Johnathan Gilbert, Elena and Jeremy's ancestor with the help of some device he had created. They rounded up the vampires in the old church that belonged to the Fell family and started a fire to burn them all.

Mayhem occurred that night, but afterwards as well. Pretty soon, almost all of the members of the Founder's Council were mysteriously attacked by animals, very few surviving. I was so frightened by what I read, that it took me a solid hour to calm down enough to get some shuteye. That woman had ruined an entire town with her manipulative ways. I shuddered, hoping that the school event that was going to take place today would keep my mind occupied from my findings. Even though I shouldn't be feeling that way, I felt bad for both Stefan and Damon. They had fallen victims to such an evil creature, and had died because of her. Though Stefan seemed to try his best to behave as a human, Damon made no effort at all. It frightened me to even think what he could do just to have a little fun.

I made my way to the school, only to find Caroline quite literally fuming in anger. "What's up Car, where's the fire?" I asked her, and she turned to glare at me. "Elena quit the cheerleading team, that's what happened. Now what on earth am I going to do?" she groaned, desperate. "Relax Car, deep breaths, or you'll have a panic attack. Come on, deep breaths," I urged her, and thankfully enough she complied.

After a few breaths, she seemed a lot calmer than when I found her. "Okay, very good. Now, think clearly. You have a problem. What can you do to solve it?" I asked her. She took another deep breath, thinking about it. "I have a few run-ups, but I'm not sure if they can handle it. Oh, I know! Can you take her place?" she asked me eagerly. "Caroline, I haven't practiced at all with you. I have cheerleader experience from my previous school, but I haven't practiced a routine in months, and even back then I was just an runner up, not on the main team."

"Please, pretty please Rayna, you are my only safe choice. Our team really sucks; they need all the cheering that we can give them. I'll put you in the back, all you have to do is shake your pompoms and look really enthusiastic. Please, please, please!" she pleaded, using her best puppy face. "Okay, okay, I will help you. Just make sure to figure something else for the next game; I'm not doing this again," I warned her. She launched herself at me, hugging me tightly. "Oh Rayna, you are really my savior. No go find Bonnie, she can explain the basics of the routines to you. With your dancing practice, you'll do fine, I'm sure," she smiled before rushing off to whatever other things she needed to take care of. I chuckled at her behavior and went on to my business. Trust Caroline to freak out about such trivial things.

After school, I located Bonnie and asked her to show me the basic steps of the routines. "I thought you weren't going to try for the team," she observed, confused. "I know, but since Elena quit and Caroline was one step away from having a panic attack, I had to do something. She really looked like she might have an aneurysm," I snorted, making her giggle as well. "Okay, let's go, we don't have much time, though it is life-saving that you have dancing experience, it saves a lot of time," Bonnie said as we headed to the gym.

We spent two hours practicing and I afterwards I went home to shower and change into my cheerleading uniform. Dad caught up with me as I rushed upstairs. "Whoa, where's the fire?" "I have about an hour to shower, get in my cheerleading uniform and get back to school dad. I'm filling for one of the girls that decided to quit the cheerleading team today," I half yelled as I rushed to my room. I heard him chuckle as I closed the door behind me and tossed the bag with my uniform on my bed. I took off my clothes in a real rush and went in the bathroom. I showered quickly but thoroughly, not wanting to get a nagging from Caroline for improper appearance. Cheerleaders were supposed to be the cream of the school crop. We were the image the school wanted to show, so we had to be flawless, or at least appear so.

I got out from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, rubbing my hair to dry them as fast as I could. I heard a knock on my door as I went through my underwear drawer to find my athletic bra and matching panties. "Come in!" I yelled as I kept on searching. "Honey, I'm going to the game, do you need a ride or are you going to drive yourself there?" my dad asked me. "It's okay dad, I'll drive myself there. I have to get ready and go pick up Bonnie, so you can go and have fun. I'll see you at the game, okay?" "Yeah. Bye sweetie!" "Bye," I waved as he closed the door and I resumed my search. I found what I was looking for and changed into my uniform in less than a minute. I slipped on my sneakers and sat in front of my mirror to start the careful process of hair and makeup. I had to keep it simple, but beautiful.

Approximately 15 minutes later, my hair were falling in waves down to my waist, my eyes were accented by the black eyeliner and silver eyeshadow, while my lips were shining from the lip-gloss. I smiled at my reflection, grabbed my purse and rushed down the stairs, careful not to trip anywhere. Now was not the time for a sprained ankle. Caroline would kill me, literally.

I drove to Bonnie's place, and she was ready to go, so she jumped in my car right away. "Hey, you look great in the uniform!" she commented as I sped down the road. "You look awesome too. Let's hope that our appearance will attract the attention of the opposite players and they will keep their minds off the game," I winked at her and she rolled her eyes, giggling.

We reached the field and my eyes widened at the so many students and other people that had gathered to support our team. We both got out of the car and made our way to the girls' lockers. On our way there, the players of the opposite team catcalled at us as we walked by. "Hey babe, why don't you transfer to our school, I promise to give you a good time," one of the quarterbacks called as we reached the door that led to the gymnasium. "Boys, do they ever grow up?" I asked Bonnie as we went inside. She shrugged as we walked to the room where the rest of the girls were. I spotted a few that glared at me as I passed by, but I chose to ignore them. I was here to help Bonnie and Caroline, not to start a vendetta with the other girls. This was a one-time thing anyway, I wasn't going to be a permanent member of the squad. This was not my thing, I preferred more liberal styles of dancing. "Okay girls, get ready, our boys need us!" Caroline called as she scanned the room with her bright eyes. I noticed that, unlike the rest of the girls, she was wearing a black scarf around her neck, no doubt to cover the bite marks Damon had caused her. things were going out of control, I had to do something, and fast, otherwise she'd become another one of the animal attacks victims, and Sheriff Forbes was going to get absolutely crazy.

The game was about to start and everyone was getting anxious about it. Coach Tanner gathered all the students around the podium he stood on, next to the dummy of the opposite school's mascot that hung from a rope above a pile of firewood. We were to set it on fire in order to raise the spirits of our players. A dumb thing, in my opinion, but if it worked for our players, who was I to judge?

I stood next to Bonnie, holding my pompoms and trying to look cheerful while I scanned the crowd for Stefan and Damon. Stefan would surely be here, though he wasn't the one I was worried about. I found him close to the coach, who launched a speech about his talents and how he was going to be the key player that would lead us to victory. The fire lit under the mascot and we all cheered, watching as the flames licked the fabric. I spotted Tyler scowling at Stefan's general direction. Caroline was right; he was furious about Stefan's admission on the team. Now that Matt didn't seem to care much about Stefan, Tyler was all alone in his hating campaign.

Suddenly, Tyler turned his focus on something to my right, and I turned to look at Vicki and Jeremy talking whilst sipping on the drinks. Tyler looked like a bull that was seeing red as he made his way to the couple. "What's up Vick, you're turning to a cougar now?" Tyler sneered as he reached them. "Leave me alone Tyler, you and I are done. Jeremy is my friend, and he has been more supportive than you in every way," Vicki threw right back at him. "Listen to me you little slut, you don't get to leave me unless I want you to. I won't have my girl walking around with some drug addicted loser," Tyler growled as he grabbed Vicki's arm roughly. "Hey, let her go, you're hurting her," Jeremy tried to cut in, pushing Tyler away from Vicki and getting in front of her, looking all protective.

"Get out of my way loser, you got no say in this," Tyler jumped at him, pushing Jeremy on the ground. "You will not touch her!" Jeremy yelled as he launched himself at Tyler, sending both of them on the floor. Tyler pushed Jeremy off of him and got up, trying to make his way towards Vicki again, but I stood in his way before he could reach her. "Out of my way Rayna," Tyler hissed at me, but I didn't budge. "There's no way you're gonna hurt her anymore Tyler, I won't allow it," I shook my head. "I said, out of my way," he pushed me away roughly, but Jeremy grabbed him and punched him hard in the jaw.

That really ticked Tyler off and he turned around to unleash his wrath on Jeremy. He swung his fist on Jeremy, and unfortunately caught the younger boy on the face, cutting his lip. Jeremy staggered back but before Tyler could get to him, Stefan got in his way. "Hey, cut it out," he tried to stop Tyler, but to no avail. Tyler landed a really mean punch in Stefan's gut, but he barely moved. Tyler looked at him, bewildered. Elena broke through the crowd, her eyes widening at the sight of the fight. I held Vicki back as Tyler tried to attack Stefan again, but Jeremy got up, a broken bottle in his hand. I had no idea where he got it, but he looked really angry as he faced the football player. "You son of a bitch!" Jeremy growled before lunging at Tyler.

Stefan saw that and tried to stop him, but the bottle got him on his hand, slashing it quite bad. Elena gasped at the sight, but Stefan barely realized it. He held Jeremy as Tyler tried to get to Jeremy, but thankfully enough, the coach and a few of the other players came to restrain Tyler before he did anything even worse. Stefan helped Jeremy to the bleachers, where Vicki and I rushed to check on him. "Jeremy, are you okay?" I asked as I looked at his face. His lip was cut and a small trail of blood trickled down his chin. "I'm fine," he shook his head. "Let me have a look at that," Elena insisted as she raised his face to her view. He wasn't that bad. "Elena, I'm fine, really," he dismissed her. "I'll go get you some water," Vicki rushed to the refreshments section.

After Elena made sure that Jeremy was alright and I assured her for the fourth time that I wouldn't let him out of my sight for the rest of the night, she left to go check up on Stefan and his injured hand. I went and got some ice for Jeremy's face while Vicki gave him some water. He rinsed the blood out of his mouth and sat on the bleachers to relax a bit.

"Thank you for defending me to Tyler," Vicki said as we sat together. "That prick needs to learn some manners," Jeremy muttered as he pressed the ice on his face. "I doubt he can ever learn Jer, it's in his DNA to always try and be the alpha male. Just ignore him, it's the only safe way to get away from him."

"Thank God that Stefan cut in before things got any worse. I totally freaked out when he pushed you Ray," Vicki said, terrified. "Relax Vick, one more move like that and he was going to get a nice scratch on his face. I don't have these nails for show you know," I said as I flashed my dark red nails at her. She snorted, and so did Jeremy, though he immediately winced at the movement. "Guys like him deserve to be beaten to a bloody pulp," I assessed as I looked at Tyler, who now stood along with the other players, glaring at our general direction. I sent him my deadliest glare, and he just turned around, ignoring me.

A few feet away, I saw Matt talking to Stefan. It looked like he was apologizing for something, and Stefan gave him a reassuring smile and patted his shoulder before he made his way to the boys' locker room. Matt turned around and headed for Tyler's spot. "It looks like Matt is going to have a word with Tyler, this should be interesting," I brightened up, watching as Matt got right into Tyler's face, looking really angry and started yelling at his friend.

I got up and went to Bonnie and Elena, who seemed to be talking about something serious. "Hey girls, what's wrong?" I asked as I reached their spot. "Elena swears that she saw Jeremy slicing Stefan's hand with that broken bottle accidentally, but his hand shows no signs of injury," Bonnie informed me. "That's why I need you to tell me what exactly was the feeling you got when you touched his hand yesterday," Elena pressed on. "I told you Elena, it felt really bad, it felt almost like death. I have no idea why I felt that, but he really gave me the creeps when I touched him," Bonnie answered her, looking disturbed. "When did this happen?" I asked, curious about the incident. A witch's instinct is never wrong, and I was glad that Bonnie's instincts were waking up, but this was really important. "Yesterday, I touched his hand by accident, and it gave me this weird feeling, almost like he was death himself. I know it sounds crazy, but I kinda trust that sixth sense or whatever this is. He looks like a nice guy, and I definitely believe that after the dinner last night, but he still creeps me out," Bonnie replied.

I spotted Stefan returning from the lockers looking rather disturbed, but he put on his mask of serenity and looked like nothing had happened right away. Elena, Bonnie and I kept on talking about what exactly was that feeling Bonnie had when screams came from the boys' lockers room. We all rushed to where the commotion came from and I froze when I saw Coach Tanner lying on the ground, his neck almost torn in half. "Somebody call an ambulance!" Matt yelled as he tried to stop the bleeding.

Everything else happened in a rush. By the time the ambulance came, the coach was already dead. Due to the event, the game was cancelled and everyone started leaving. As the paramedics took the body away, I spotted Bonnie looking around, a terrified look on her face. I approached her, rubbing her arm to calm her down. "Bon, are you okay?" I asked, worried about my friend. "The numbers I kept seeing for two days now, they all match up," she muttered in a frightened voice. "What are you talking about?" I asked, confused. "Look. Building 8, there's a 14 on that license plate and the parking space where the ambulance is parked in is number 22. It all adds!" she finished, panic seeping in her voice. "Sweetie, come on, I'll drive you home. It's been a stressful day, we all need to rest. Come on, we should go," I gently ushered her to my car and put her in the passenger's seat.

As I walked around to get in the driver's seat, I spotted Damon Salvatore, smirking from across the road as he watched the mayhem that he most likely had caused. Things were getting out of hand. I would have to deal with him soon, before any more people got hurt.


	6. Founder's ball and Damon's capture

_**And here we are again.**_

_**My love and appreciation to all those who chose to read my story, you have been very supportive guys, and I needed that badly. I was really nervous about posting this story, and your love has been a great motivation for me to keep going. **_

_**My gift to you?**_

_**A new chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs.**_

_**New characters:**_

_**Ethan Collins - Sebastian Stan (Like he was in the Covenant)**_

_**Andy Lester - Steven Strait (Like he was in The Covenant)**_

_**Amber Fell - Hayden Panettiere**_

* * *

September 24th

Rayna POV

It's been almost two weeks since Coach Tanner's death and things seemed to be getting back to their normal state. Even the vampire attacks had died out a bit, and the town had eased up, since the sheriff and her deputies had managed to catch and kill a mountain lion, supposedly the animal responsible for the attacks. Apparently Damon had managed to cover his tracks, but I knew better and kept close watch every day. As for school, it was as boring as ever. The loss of our teacher was quite a hit, but since most people didn't like him, we all moved on from the incident to the next important event of our annual timeline, the Founder's Ball and the Heritage Display.

Each of the founding families had to present various objects of our ancestors, from clothes and accessories to small items like watches, things from the kitchen, anything we had to offer, items that would be on display in the Founder's hall tonight. As my dad and I went in the attic to search through the various piles of dusty stuff and choose which things to donate, I located a very old looking chest, something I had never seen before, and I had spent quite some time in here the past few days, going over our ancestor's stuff, for my own reasons.

"Hey dad, what is that?" I asked him, pointing to the old chest. "It was your grandma's I think. She always said she had things of her grandma in there, like books, recipes, diaries, old stuff in general, but she always kept it locked, and she never gave me the key. Not that I would want to research old recipes on how to make soap with fat from animals. People would get so creative sometimes back then," my dad shook his head.

"Do you think we should try to pry it open?" I asked him as I eyed the peculiar chest. It wasn't like my grandma to keep things like that a secret, not from the family at least. Even I had no idea what this thing was about, though I had been the one closest to her, closer than grandpa Theodore. "Sweetie, that would be a disgrace to your grandma's memory. We should better try and find the key rather than try to open it some other way." He kept on going through the many boxes when he opened one and exclaimed happily. "Hey, I found a few old kitchen utensils. They must be from the 1800s. I'll put them down with the other stuff. I'll be right back," my dad called as he carried the box he had filled downstairs.

I took one of the rags I had brought with me to clean the things we would donate and cleaned the chest from all the dust that covered it. I felt a slight jolt of magical power coming from the chest and stepped back immediately, not sure what was going on. This chest had magic in it, or a spell on it to protect it from somebody. My father's footsteps could be heard from the hallway, so I abandoned the chest for later when I would have some privacy and moved on to the other boxes we had.

Around noon, Tyler came by the house to collect the things we had managed to pull together and he threw me a rather nasty glare when I handed him the boxes. I didn't even bother to ask him, since I knew he was still angry about the whole Vicki incident. As I went back inside, I saw that my dad was in his office, typing on his laptop like crazy, so I took the opportunity to go investigate the mysterious chest without any disturbances. I took the rag and cleaned it more from the dust and the spider webs, revealing its normal color. The chest was made out of oak, and it looked quite heavy. It was impossible to lift it on my own, so I gave up on that and tried to open it. As I looked at it closer, I found a small hole in a circle, like a keyhole, only not shaped as much, at the center of its lid. It had the shape of my pendant, a clear crystal tear that my grandma had given to me, telling me to keep it always on me and give it to my daughter when the time came.

I took off my pendant and placed it in the hole. It fit perfectly in it. I tried turning the circle to the left, it didn't budge. I tried turning it to the right, and a small clicking sound was heard as the locks released the lid. I took a deep breath and pulled it up, opening the chest. Inside it were many books, like notebooks from the old days, like hundreds of years ago, small boxes with god knows what, but most of them were books. I took one and opened it to see what was written in it, and I almost jumped up when I felt the power that all these books emitted. Whatever this chest was, there was a spell placed on it, as if only I could touch it without getting hurt. The book was a notebook, written in a secret ancient language that my grandma had taught me when I was a kid. It was one of her grimoires, her magical notes on each spell she had cast. I left that one aside and tried another. The name on the first page was of my grandma's mother, and it was also a grimoire. It seemed that I had found my magical heritage, all the grimoires of my family. I wondered how many generations back they went.

I carried the grimoires in my room, careful not to be noticed by my dad. When all the grimoires were safely hidden under my bed, I decided to see what the boxes contained. Most of them had herbs in them, dried out, preserved for all time, but with their scent still lingering strong. I carried those to my room as well and came back to find one last box at the very bottom of the chest. This one was larger than the others, and it had a lock as well, similar to the lock of the bigger chest. I pulled the crystal from the chest's lock and opened this one as well. Inside it was another grimoire, but this one looked a lot different. I reached out to touch it and I felt a very strong power surging through me. This was really old magic, and very powerful as well, but I didn't feel frightened by it. As I went to open the book, see who was the owner, I heard my dad calling for me downstairs.

Sighing, I closed the chest, locked it, put it back in the bigger chest and carried it to my room, a much easier task now that it was empty. I chose a dark corner of my room to put it, so that no one would notice it, placed all the grimoires in there along with mine, locked it and put a colorful piece of fabric I had and a few pillows on top of it. Now no one would be able to see it if they came in my room. I sighed, not sure what that whole thing was, but mentally noted to go through the grimoires and the boxes again when I had more time and absolute privacy and of course, see who was the owner of that so carefully kept grimoire. I went back down to see what my father wanted, leaving the questions that tormented my mind for later.

Afternoon soon turned to evening and before I knew it, I was in the passenger seat of my dad's SUV and we were driving to the Founder's Hall. I had chosen a really nice light green dress with a pair of white sandals and a jean jacket to wear tonight. I looked presentable, but also I felt comfortable with myself. I was really nervous about facing Damon Salvatore again, but somehow the ghost of the power from the bracelets from earlier today gave me courage. My dad parked in a spot and we got out, following the other people inside the building. My dad found a few of his friends and I let him go to them, hoping that at least someone of my friends would be here.

Thankfully, I found Vicki and Jeremy chatting in a corner, so I joined them. Jeremy wore a pair of dark jeans and a light blue shirt, with black sneakers to complete the look, while Vick had chosen a vibrant pink cocktail dress with black heels. She looked stunning, and nothing like the girl I had seen at the party in the woods. "Hey guys, how are ya?" I greeted them happily. "Better, now that you are here. These things are an absolute bore," Jeremy sighed as he looked around. "Tell me about it. But at least we have each other, right Vick?" I nudged her, making her smile. "You got that right. You know, Tyler had the nerve to ask me to go with him to this thing, but only after his parents had left the Grill. While they were there, he acted like he was just another friend of mine. The stubbornness of that boy is irritating," she huffed as she looked towards the boy in question, who stood across the room, a random girl by his side, his pathetic attempt to make Vicki jealous no doubt.

"Look, he even asked Amber Fell to the event, to make you jealous," Jeremy chuckled, eyeing the couple as well. "That's the most idiotic thing he could ever do. I mean, I dumped him, and he still doesn't get the hint. I have been avoiding him all this time, ignoring him while I work at the Grill, and he still thinks he can get me back? He is so pathetic," Vicki shook her head.

"He's just the macho boy that doesn't want to get that he got dumped. Anyway, moving on from him, how are you doing with those dance moves I showed you? Have you been practicing?" I asked, changing the subject. "Every moment I can spare from work and school. I just hope I'll get back in shape real soon, the tryouts for Julliard start in two months, December 4th." "You'll do great, I know it. Since you have decided to go there on scholarship, you can make it, I'm sure. You always were a stubborn girl," I teased her, making her blush. "She's right. I still remember how you stayed in that room when I dared you that you wouldn't last more than three minutes in there since you were claustrophobic. You stayed for one hour," Jeremy stated, and I remembered that day. It was quite a feat for Vicki to face her fear in order to win two boxes of pop tarts. "At least I faced my fear, and won two boxes of pop tarts, right?" Vicki joked, and both Jeremy and I laughed along.

Soon after, Vicki asked Jeremy to dance with her to get on Tyler's nerves, and I left to look around. I went to the heritage display, and was surprised to find Stefan, Elena, Caroline and Damon staring at one of the displays. "Hey guys, what are you looking at?" I asked, getting their attention. "The guest registry for the very first Founder's Ball. It has the names of both Stefan and Damon, but in reality they are their ancestors, the ones they were named after," Caroline replied all too happily. I looked at the display, and surely enough, the names Stefan Salvatore and Damon Salvatore were among them. "That's cool," I commented, hoping to keep up the charade of the ignorant human.

"Hey, are there any Silverstones on it?" I wondered, getting closer to get a better look. Close to the bottom, there were the names of my ancestors, Leon and Victoria Silverstone. "Hey, I remember my grandma telling me about Victoria Silverstone. She was a very pretty woman, a great catch during her time. I have a painting at home hanging over the fireplace, where her and her husband Leon are posing, smiling happily. You must have seen it Elena, remember?" "Oh yeah, the one where the woman has the same hair as you. You're right, she was indeed a very pretty woman," Elena nodded. "How come you didn't bring it to the display?" Stefan asked. "Oh no, it's too valuable to be moved out of the house. Besides, I didn't want to risk moving it and damaging it by accident. It's been hanging there for the last 145 years, it would be a shame to destroy it now. Maybe if you come to my house one day, you can see it for yourselves," I offered. "That sounds like a really nice idea," Damon smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. I pretended to agree, shaking my head as I looked at the guest registry again. I would die before I invited Damon in my house. Stefan maybe, but Damon, not a chance in hell.

"So, how come you guys took your ancestors' names?" I asked both Salvatores, my curiosity getting the best of me as to what story they would come up with to cover up the truth. "Oh, mommy and daddy thought it would be a good idea to give us their names, honor them in a way," Damon replied, looking at the old scroll in the display.

"Well, I'm getting really bored at all this boring history class. Damon, wanna go dance?" Caroline purred at her boyfriend. "No thank you, I'm not really in the mood," Damon shook his head. Caroline was not frustrated by that though. "Stefan, what about you, are you up for it?" she asked the younger Salvatore. "I'm not too much of a dancer," Stefan shook his head uneasily. "Oh, he's lying. I have seen him dance, he's a regular Gene Kelly," Damon urged him, and Stefan sighed, having no other choice. "It's okay with you Elena, right, me dancing with your boyfriend?" Caroline turned to Elena. "It's okay, you guys go on ahead," Elena assured them and they left, with Stefan glancing one last time at Elena before disappearing around the corner.

My eyes were drawn to Tyler following Jeremy and Vicki to the garden, and I decided to check if they needed my help with the little prick. "Guys, I'm gonna go make sure there isn't a fight in here tonight okay? I'll see you later," I informed them, and Elena looked worried. "What sort of fight?" she asked, stopping me from walking away. "Tyler has been following Jeremy and Vicki all night, I don't want tonight turning into another fight night like in the football game."

"It seems those two are really hitting it off," Damon commented as he saw Jeremy and Vicki laughing as they went down the stairs, towards the garden. "Maybe there is something romantic there, hence the jock's fiery temper towards your younger brother. It looks like he stole his girl," Damon drawled as he glanced at Elena. "No, Jeremy and Vicki are not like that, not anymore at least. They decided to be just friends from that night of the attack, and have been ever since," Elena shot back. "Yeah, ever since that animal attack on Vicki, they both got their minds on the right track, and got away from the bad influences," I added, throwing a glance at Damon. He studied me with those blue eyes of his, but I waved at the two of them and went to follow Tyler.

I knew leaving Elena with Damon was a risk, but I also knew he wouldn't try anything here in the crowd, and Elena had vervain in her necklace, given to her by Stefan on the night of the game, so he couldn't compel her. It had surprised me when Elena had told me about it a few days ago, but I had to admit Stefan had gotten a lot of points in my mind for that move. It meant he really cared about her and didn't want her getting compelled by anyone, including himself and most importantly, his brother.

I followed Tyler and watched from the shadows as he watched on Jeremy and Vicki. "It looks like you have a crush on Tyler Lockwood," a smooth voice said from beside me, and I turned to come face to face with a beautiful boy from my math class with light auburn hair and piercing green eyes. He was really cute, and seriously good-looking. I vaguely remembered that he was the one I had mentioned that day when me and the girls talked about how hot Stefan looked. Ethan, his name was I think. "And what makes you say that?" I asked him, glancing once again at the dark haired boy that looked like he wanted to kill somebody. "Well, you have been staring or rather stalking him for about half an hour now, it kinda adds up," he shrugged, smirking.

"I'm just watching out for my friends. I'm sure you have heard of the fight that Tyler and Jeremy Gilbert had the night of the game, just before Coach Tanner was found dead. Tyler just can't accept that Vicki dumped him, so he might try to do something stupid, and I don't want to see Jeremy getting another busted lip. Besides, I could never fall for such a dull, hotheaded macho boy. He's really not my type." "And what exactly is your type?" he asked again. "Someone that doesn't treat girls like a piece of meat, or rather like a piece of ass in Tyler's case." "Have you found him yet?" "Still looking," I shrugged as I watched Tyler walking up to the pair, and Vicki sending Jeremy away.

He did go, but not before he looked at least three times at them as he made his way up the stairs. "What's going on?" I asked him as he reached my spot. "Vicki said she wanted to talk to him, get things straightened up, so I left them alone. I hope Vicki knows what she's doing," Jeremy sighed. "Don't worry Jeremy, I think she probably just wants to get the whole thing over with and finally come clean once and for all," I assured him. He nodded and moved away, heading to the main building. "I think little Jer has a bit of a thing for Vicki," Ethan commented. "Used to, not anymore," I replied, shaking my head.

I saw Vicki almost slapping Tyler and storming away from him, huffing, while Tyler stormed the other way. "Looks like they sorted things, or something like that," my companion commented. "I just hope Vick is gonna be okay," I replied as I followed her with my gaze. A guy with dark hair and dark eyes stopped her and talked to her, looking worried. "Oh no, another suitor," I shook my head. "Hey, this one is a good guy, I assure you. He's a buddy of mine," Ethan assured me. "I haven't seen him around," I shook my head. "He's in our Math class, sitting behind Amber Fell," he informed me.

"No wonder I don't know him. I never look at that part of the classroom," I commented, making him chuckle. "You know, we've been talking all this time and I don't even know your name," I folded my hands over my chest, and he smiled, lowering his head. "How rude of me. Ethan Collins, a pleasure to meet you," he nodded his head towards me like the gentlemen of old time, making me giggle. It was not intentional, I assure you. "Rayna Silverstone, a pleasure to meet you as well," I bowed my head as well, smiling.

"I know, the famous Mud War champion. I still had managed to hit you with one of my pies before Matt Donovan got to me. May I have this dance please?" he smiled cheekily, making me laugh. "Well, if you indeed managed to get me back then, you definitely deserve a dance," I smiled as I gave him my hand, and he led us to the dancefloor. Stefan and Elena were already there, smiling to each other as they danced, and Damon stood on the far edge of the dancefloor, Caroline by his side, his stare on the happy couple bordering on glaring. Ethan twirled me around before his hand slithered around my waist, pulling me closer gently. "You ever had dancing lessons?" I asked him, noticing his almost expert style. "My mom decided one day that I might need the experience one day so she enrolled me to ballroom dancing lessons. I'm glad to see they ended up being of use to me," he smiled seductively, and I copied him. "Well, they certainly did a good job with you," I responded as we swayed to the soft music. At least the night wasn't a total loss.

Damon POV

I watched as my brother dear danced with the absolute copy of Katherine in his arms, both of them in their happy bubble, not caring about anything in the world. Beside me, Caroline was still pouting softly from when I told her to stop talking. She was really getting on my nerves, but I still needed her until I retrieved the crystal from its hiding place.

We walked in the room where the display of the old house things of the Lockwood family was and I located the jewelry box I was looking for. While Caroline looked around, I opened the box and looked inside. "Hey, you're not supposed to touch anything," Caroline grumbled, but I hardly cared about what she thought. I popped the hidden compartment open and retrieved what I was looking for. Thank goodness it was still there. "Hey, how did you know it was there?" Caroline asked me as she eyed the crystal. "Because I hid it there." "When?" she asked again. Why are blonds so irritatingly curious? "A long time ago. Now come on, let's go back downstairs before anyone notices our absence," I pushed her towards the door, putting the box back in its place. We went back outside to the dancefloor. I looked around and located one of my former blood-bags, Vicki Donovan dancing with a dark-haired boy. After I had attacked her, she had decided to stop being a drunk and a drug addict and finally do something with her life, and it seemed like she was working on it. Too bad I had lost one of my entertainment girls, but since I had found Caroline, no need to go back to her now. She wasn't of much use to me anyway.

"Oh my God, Rayna got a guy in her net," Caroline gasped softly, getting my attention on the other side of the dancefloor, where Rayna Silverstone danced with an auburn haired guy with green eyes. They looked like they were having a good time. "Who is that?" I asked Caroline. "Ethan Collins. He is in our year, I have Biology with him. He's a really smart and kind guy, not that much into sports, more of a geeky/artistic guy. He plans on going to a dance school after high school from what I've heard," Caroline informed me. "Maybe he swings for the other team," I offered as I watched them dance to the music. "No, definitely not. He's had a few relationships, but ever since Amber Fell cheated on him with Fred Dukes, he's been on his own. He's one of those really soft, kind guys that are harder to find than a diamond in the trash. I just can't believe that it's Rayna the one that drew his attention," Caroline shook her head.

At that moment, Rayna laughed at something the guy had told her, and I had to admit the sound was quite appealing. She looked really beautiful when she smiled. Wait, what was I doing? I had other business to attend to, not stare at a random human couple that was two steps away from making out in public. Another thing drew my attention as Elena left Stefan in the middle of the dancefloor and stormed to the inside of the building. "I'm gonna go see what happened," Caroline said as she followed Elena inside, and Rayna followed, after apologizing to the guy she was dancing with and promised to return. It appeared that Stefan's lies were finally catching up with him. Splendid.

Rayna POV

I followed Caroline as she followed Elena and we all ended up in the comfort room, with Elena looking rather pissed off and Caroline a bit worried about our friend. I was more concerned about both of them, but I had to remain in my innocent human façade, for now at least. "So, how's it going with Stefan?" Caroline asked our friend as she fixed her makeup. "Just fine," Elena muttered. "Really, 'cause that's not what my radar is getting," Caroline retorted. As she moved her shoulders to adjust her dress, the scarf she wore around her neck moved slightly and the edge of a bite became visible. "Caroline, what happened to you?" I gasped as I pulled the scarf down to get a better look. Yep, it was definitely a vampire bite. Damon had gotten her good. By the state of this bite, he had bitten her rather harshly, and he hadn't given her any blood to heal her. "Oh my God Caroline, did Damon did this to you?" Elena asked, concern lacing her voice as she inspected the bite closely.

"It's fine, it's nothing," Caroline replied as she pulled the scarf over the wounds again, but Elena pulled it further down, revealing more bites down her shoulder and back. It was quite frightening to see such wounds from up close. It was one thing to know that Damon was a vampire and a whole other thing to witness his work. "Caroline, this is definitely not something to be looked over. If Damon did this to you, you should talk to your mom, have him arrested right away," I offered, making Caroline widen her eyes in fear. "No, please don't say anything to my mom. It's fine really, no big deal," she assured us as she left in a hurry, not giving us another chance to talk her out of this relationship. "Did you see those bites? The guy is seriously out of his mind!" Elena hissed, furious at Damon. "And here I thought he was actually just a misunderstood guy," she shook her head. "He fooled us all, playing the bad boy that wants to be good," I agreed.

"Do you think we should tell the Sheriff?" Elena asked me. "No, I think that's a bad idea. She'll freak out, probably shoot Damon, not that he doesn't deserve it," I reasoned with her. "Well, I'm at least going to have a word with him," Elena fumed as she made her way out of the comfort room and back to the patio of the house. I followed her, just so I could see the expression on Damon's face when Elena unleashed her anger on him. I caught just the end of the argument, with Elena storming off probably to find Stefan and Damon looking completely out of place.

Matt nudged me softly, bringing me out of my reverie. "Hey matchmaker, what's going on?" he chuckled at me. "Matchmaker? Where'd that come from?" I asked him, confused. "He probably refers to the fact that his sister left the party with Andy Lester, the guy she was dancing with earlier when we also danced," Ethan said as he came on Matt's other side. "At least Andy is a guy I know I can trust with her. I think he had a thing for her since middle school," Matt smiled. "Well, it's good that they finally ended up together. Now, how about we finish that dance we left in the middle my dear?" Ethan purred as he offered me his hand.

I giggled, excusing myself from Matt and followed Ethan back to the dancefloor. He twirled me as a rather fast song came on and I let myself go at the lovely sensation the dance was giving me. Ethan had quite the talent.

After three dances, Ethan left to go find his parents but promised to return soon, and I looked around for my dad. Instead, I found Damon pulling Caroline towards the lower parts of the garden, where nobody could see them. He was going to bite her again, I just knew it. I couldn't let her be manipulated by him anymore, so I followed from a distance. I watched as he held her close to him, talking to her softly. Caroline looked terrified to death, and I moved closer, ready to stop him from killing her if I had to. Damon sank his teeth in her neck, only to stumble back from her, coughing. Caroline fell to the ground, unconscious as Stefan came from the other side of the garden, walking slowly towards his still coughing brother. He knelt beside him and spoke, so I moved closer to hear what he had to say. "I knew I could never get you to drink anything I offered you after today's events, so I spiked Caroline's drink. Your days of causing havoc are over Damon," Stefan told his brother as he stood again.

"Finally, you decided to stop him before it was too late," I stated, making my presence known, and Stefan turned around, frightened. "Rayna, I can explain-" he tried to cover for the events, but I stopped him before he could continue. "Stefan, I have known for a while now that you and Damon are vampires. If you hadn't done your little trick tonight, I would have stopped him myself. He has hurt Caroline enough." "How would you stop him?" he asked, still trying to process the situation. "I'm not some frail defenseless human Stefan," I replied as I let my powers show off, feeling my eyes go pitch black like they did whenever I used my magic. Stefan gasped in surprise, clearly not expecting it. "I didn't make a move until now because I know how much you care about Elena, especially after you gave her the necklace with the vervain in it. Your brother however, must be either contained or killed. What do you plan on doing with him?" I asked as I withdrew my magic, letting my eyes return to normal again.

"I'm going to let him desiccate for a few weeks until he turns into a mummy and then I'll move him to a place where nobody will be able to release him. I might let him go in a decade or so," he replied seriously.

Damon groaned, probably in a lot of pain. "Maybe you should move him before somebody comes down and sees him. I'll take care of Caroline," I pointed at the writhing body. Stefan got closer to his brother, but hesitated as I kneeled over Caroline. I put my hand over her wound and mumbled a healing spell, feeling my power surging through me as the wound healed. "She'll wake up thinking he knocked her out and abandoned her here, which is probably the best way to get her mind off of him," I stated as he grabbed his brother's limp body and walked away.

He turned to look at me, still unsure of what to do. "Go, I'll tell Elena that you and Damon got into a fight, and you left for home to cool down. Don't worry, I won't let her come over there. Make sure he stays locked up for good," I motioned to Damon's body before turning around and making my way towards the party. I took a few deep breaths to clam myself and tried to find someone I knew. I located my dad, who seemed to be looking for me. "Honey, I haven't seen you all night. Where were you?" "Dancing, talking to my friends, having fun, you know, the usual things a teenager can do during this kind of a party dad. How about you, did you chat enough with your old pals?" He chuckled, lowering his head. "Yeah, I talked to most of them. I'm glad you had a good time as well though. Whom did you dance with?" "A boy from my Math class. He is a really good dancer. For once I enjoyed a dance with someone," I sighed, making my dad chuckle once again.

At that point, Elena came from my right, looking a bit confused. "Hey, hello Mr. Silverstone." "Hello Elena honey, how are you?" "Great, thanks. I'm sorry, but I have to steal Rayna from you for a minute," she smiled as she pulled me away. "No problem honey, go and have some fun, I still have to find a few friends. Just make sure you're ready to go in an hour or so, okay?" "Sure thing dad," I nodded as I let Elena pull me to a corner. "What's wrong?" I asked my friend as soon as we were out of everyone's earshot. "I can't find Caroline, Stefan or Damon. I hope that son of a bitch didn't drag our friend away to bite her again." "Don't worry, I just saw Stefan and Damon walking away from the house. It looked like they had a bit of a fight. I'm sure Caroline is somewhere around here, probably looking for Damon," I assured her. "Fighting? Do you think Stefan is going to be okay?" Elena asked, concerned. "Yeah I'm sure, he's just trying to talk some sense to his brother. I mean, those bites seemed like quite the kink, so it's probably a good idea to let the sort things out by themselves."

Elena looked still unconvinced, but at that moment, Caroline showed up, looking all too lost and disheveled. "Look, it's Caroline," I motioned towards our blond friend. We both went to her, and she really almost fell on Elena's arms when she spotted us. "Caroline sweetie what happened, where did you go?" I asked her as she started sniffing, tears spilling form her blue eyes. "He took me to the lower garden, kissed my neck and the next thing I remember is me waking up on the garden floor, with him missing." "Stefan and Damon had a fight about the things Damon has been doing to you, I'm sure Stefan is going to talk some sense into him," I said softly as I caressed her blond head of hair, trying to soothe her. She continued crying.

* * *

I hope you guys liked how I displayed Rayna's magic. Think of it like the Power the boys in the movie The Covenant had, the eyes at least.

Reviews make me really happy!


	7. Old stories and a carwash

**Hi everybody!**

**I hope you are enjoying the way I altered the priginal scenario of our beloved TV show.**

**Here's the new one!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs. **

* * *

September 28th

Rayna POV

It's been three days since the Founder's Ball, and things seemed to be calming down, even returning to normal to an extent, apart from the fact that Stefan has been avoiding Elena ever since the ball. I had gone to his place the day after the party, and his uncle Zach had told me that Stefan was busy. Elena kept getting frustrated with the whole situation, and I faked ignorance. Caroline was really hurt from Damon's disappearance and moped all over the floor, while Bonnie seemed completely lost, having missed such important events.

The only thing that was a silver lightning in the whole situation was that Vicki and that boy Andy were now officially together, much to Tyler's disappointment. It was so beautiful to see Vicki smiling again even I had to admit that Andy was a great guy. We even went out all together a few times, Vicki with Andy and me with Ethan. Ethan was turning out to be a really nice guy, and I was seriously considering going into a relationship with him. I kinda needed a bit of normal in my life with all the supernatural things that went on.

As I came home from my latest date with Ethan, I found Stefan waiting for me at the turn before my house. I stopped my car, curious as to why he was here. "Hey Stefan, something wrong? Did Damon escape?" I asked him, worried that something had gone wrong. "No, I actually wanted to talk to you if you've got some time," he said in his usual brooding tone. "Sure, hop in. I think I know a place where nobody will distract us," I replied. He opened the door, got in and I sped down the road, heading for the only place I knew it was safe. It was my hiding place from my childhood, by the old cemetery. No sane person would be there at this hour, a little before dark.

We reached the old cemetery and I stopped, killing the both got out and headed for one of the stone benches that still stood. We both sat on it, and I waited for him to talk. It took a few minutes for him to gather his thoughts and put them in order.

"I don't know where to begin," he muttered, looking a bit lost. "How about you start chronologically. When were you turned?" I suggested, and it seemed to help him.

"I was born in November 5th, 1846, right here in Mystic Falls. Damon had been born four years earlier. We lost our mother when I was 10 and Damon 14, so our father raised us all by himself. Even though Damon was the older one, our father seemed to show a preference to me, probably because I usually listened to him and did as I was told. Damon was more of a rebel." "A trait he has to this day," I commented, making him chuckle. "Yeah. Anyway, I was about 18 when one day, a carriage came and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen came out of it. Her name was Katherine Pierce. She had just moved here from Atlanta, having lost all of her family at the Atlanta Campfires. My father took it upon himself to protect her, so he invited her to stay with us.

A few days later, Damon returned from battle, having abandoned his post because he didn't really believe in the war. My father was furious at his choice, and their relationship became even more strained. I didn't really care that he had defected; I was just glad that I had my brother back, safe and sound. It might not show now, but when we were human, Damon and I were really close. He was my best friend.

Unfortunately, Damon fell for Katherine as well, and the whole mess began. It was the night of the first Founder's Ball that she first bit me. I woke up the next morning with a bite on my neck, and she was standing on the other side of the room as her maid helped her get dressed. I panicked, remembering her behavior from the previous night, but she compelled me to not care about it, and not say a word to anyone. We spent quite a few weeks like that, her and I making love, her feeding on me and feeding me her blood. During that time, she did the same thing with my brother.

She did other things though. She turned quite a few of the townspeople, planning on making this town her vampire home, and things started getting out of hand. The founders decided to do something about the many deaths of people that occurred around, so they started distributing vials of medicine with vervain in it, in order to uncover the vampires among the human population. Meanwhile, Katherine wasn't in the littlest bit concerned with the events. She thought that the founders would never get to catch her in time.

One night, as I was in her room, she bit me, but somehow she stopped, like my blood was poisoning her. I panicked when I saw her like that and called for my father. He came in, saw her vampire face and ordered the servants to take her away and me to go get the sheriff. Damon heard the commotion and came to see her being carried to the carriage and taken to be imprisoned. He accused me of betraying her secret, but I told him that I hadn't told father her secret and now was not the time to fight over it.

We decided to cooperate in order to save her. Something went wrong, one of the guards saw us before we got her out of the carriage and shot both of us to death. We both woke up the next day in transition, and with Katherine's maid telling us that Katherine had died along with the other vampires the founders had caught."

"I read in my ancestor's journal that things were hellish for those of the supernatural world. But Victoria knew that she was safe, and nobody would know her secret, ever." "Victoria was a witch like you?" Stefan asked. "Yes. She was one of the first to realize what Katherine was, along with a few of her friends. According to her diary however, she says that not all the vampires that roamed the town back then were bad. A few were kind people, and even knew of her secret. She tried to protect them, but the town had gone crazy, and things went down the river too fast for her to do something to save those who deserved it."

"That is an understatement. Anyway, Katherine's maid, Emily Bennet, was beside me and Damon when we woke up in transition and she told us that Katherine had ordered her to make us these daylight rings, so we could walk in the sunlight like she did." "I know, the lapis lazuli rings. Did you say Emily Bennet? Could that be Bonnie's ancestor?"

"Probably. I left Damon by the lake, crying and grieving Katherine's death and wondered into the town, to my house. I walked up to the door, and one of the servants invited me in. I went to my father's study, and found him reading a newspaper. He was really shocked to see me there, since according to him, he was he one that had shot us both to death."

"Your own father shot you?" I gasped, not believing that a father was capable of such a horrible act. "He said that his sons were no longer who they used to be, but puppets at the hands of the fiends. He had no choice but to cleanse his family tree of the filth. We got into a fight, and as he tried to shoot me with a wooden stake, I caught it with my newfound speed and threw it right back at him, hitting him right in the chest. I didn't mean to, but I just reacted on instinct. I went to him, shocked with what I had done, but the scent of his blood overtook my senses and before I knew it, I had killed him, bleeding him dry. I freaked out and fled the house, roaming the woods for hours. I found other people, drained them dry, it was all so blurry. After my hunger had somehow subsided, the memories came back.

After you turn someone, if they had been compelled during their human life, the memories will come back, first in pieces and then completely. I returned to the lake, but Damon was nowhere to be seen. I found him stumbling in the woods, at the edge of death. He was refusing to feed, to complete the transition and become a vampire without Katherine by his side. He was so in love with her that he could not face immortality without her by his side, even if he had me. I felt so desperate that I would be left alone that I tempted him with the blood of a girl that I had compelled. He was unable to resist and he fed on her, draining her dry, and thus completing his transition. He hates me to this day for doing this to him, and he promised me an eternity of misery for that.

The next few days passed by with me roaming the camps of the wounded from the battle of Willow Creek, with so many soldiers that bled. I fed only at night, when no one could see me. It was one of those nights that I felt someone watching me. I looked around but there wasn't a nurse or any conscious soldiers looking at me. I noticed a woman walking away from the camp, her face hidden in her black hood. I decide to have her as my final victim for the night, so I followed her. I circled her as any predator does, trying to scare her. At first, I thought it was working, since she was reacting like any other person would, looking around worried and her heartbeat quickening, or so I thought.

I moved in for my final strike, but before I could attack her, she had me pinned down, with her fangs showing in full glory." "Another vampire?" "She was pretending to be a nurse, feeding on those that were about to die. According to her, she hated killing someone that isn't already dying. It was close to sunrise, and since she had no daylight ring, I invited her to my home. She was really frightened when she saw the bodies of my victims lying all over the living room floor. It was then that she decided to help me with my bloodlust, even if didn't want it."

"And she managed to help you?" "It wasn't easy. She spent decades with me, trying to get my emotions to wake up again. I had accidentally turned them off after I killed my father, so she had a lot of work to do. She did help me a lot though, and for that I am ever grateful to her. You might see her one day, she visits me from time to time."

"She's still alive?" "Yeah, going on 350 years this year. Lexi was changed back in 1681, but she never met her maker. Whoever made her, abandoned her before her transition was even complete. To this day, she has been unable to find that person, but she doesn't really care. Her motto is: 'Live everyday like it's your last'. Her happy aura helped me go back to my human ways, emotionally at least." "I really hope to meet her one day. She sounds like a really nice girl." "She is."

An uncomfortable silence spread between us, and I had no idea what to say. "What are you going to do now?" I asked him. "For now, I will keep Damon locked up and vervained, and as soon as he dries up and turns into a mummy, I will move him to my family crypt. Nobody will think about going in there." "You plan on keeping him in there forever?" I asked, surprised at the cruelness he was willing to do to his own brother. "Yes. I might let him out in a few decades. He has really been a pain on my ass ever since we were turned, so spending some time without him tormenting my every waking moment won't be a bad idea." "Not to mention keeping the town safe from his bloodlust. I just hope Caroline doesn't go all teary over him leaving her." "Don't worry, his compulsion will fade in time, and she will go back to her normal perky self in just a few weeks," Stefan assured me. "I wonder if that is good or bad. A perky Caroline is not exactly a good thing," I shrugged, making him chuckle.

I drove him to the Boarding House, even though he said it was not necessary, but I did it anyway. I drove home after that, feeling like I had gained another friend, even if he was a vampire. His life's story was quite disturbing, but at least now Damon was out of the picture.

September 29th

Rayna POV

I woke up this morning feeling so much better that I had nothing to worry about. I had no classes today, but I still had to go to school. Caroline, in order to go over the mysterious disappearance of Damon had decided to organize a fundraiser for our football team, by inviting all the townspeople to come to the school and get their cars washed, for a price. The added kink? We all had to be in sexy outfits, like swimsuits, shorts, tight tops, that sort of thing. 'Sexy Suds Carwash Fundraiser', that was the title Caroline had put on the event. I got dressed in my favorite black and purple bikini top, tied the straps on the back of my neck, put on a pair of jean cutoffs, slipped my feet in my black sneakers, tied my hair in a loose ponytail and grabbed my purple hoodie zip-up from my dresser before heading down to half a little breakfast to gain some strength. I would have to work real hard for our team today.

Dad was already at the door, ready to go when I made it down the stairs. "Good morning dad, where are you headed this early?" "I have to go to the library, I need a few info about my story," he smiled uneasily, and I instantly felt he was hiding something from me. He was most likely going in a meeting with the others from the Founder's council. "Just remember to come by the school so you can get your car washed and you help the football team, okay?" He chuckled, lowering his head. "I will honey. This town has a lousy football team, we might as well all help the boys get better, as soon as they find a coach though." "You're right, I just hope they find someone new soon, the season still continues." I waved him goodbye and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast before I headed to the carwash.

When I arrived at the school parking lot, at least thirteen cars had lined up to be washed, and most of the students were here, dressed in as fewer clothes as they could, and had already started to work. I spotted Vicki and Andy drying a green Renault Clio on one corner, Caroline was talking to Elena and Stefan at the cashier, while Bonnie and Matt were at work on a pickup truck.

"Welcome," a voice said from behind me and I turned around, smiling. "Caroline has the weirdest ideas, right?" I asked Ethan as I drank in his outfit. He was really hot in that tight white T-shirt and those faded blue jeans. His hair shone with the sun and his eyes seemed to almost sparkle with happiness. "She sure does, but as long as the team gets enough money to go on with their games, I'm willing to wash a few cars," he shrugged, and I smiled at his comment.

We all got to work right away, since Caroline was in a really crabby mood and glared at anyone who was slacking. I finished wiping an SUV when I felt someone using magic nearby. I looked around and saw Bonnie staring at a girl that seemed to be irritating her. The next moment, the hose the girl was holding went out of control, making her soaked from head to toe. Bonnie broke from her trance and moved on to another car, looking rather disturbed.

"Hey Ethan, who is that girl over there?" I asked him and he paused, throwing the sponge in the bucket. "That's Tiki, she's one of Amber's friends. A real asshole from time to time, mostly all the time. Why?" "No reason, but I think her bitchiness just got back to her. She lost control of the hose and got herself wet from head to toe." "Too bad I missed that," he chuckled, and I joined in.

"Well, if it isn't the happy couple," a nasal voice said from our right, and I tried not to groan at the sound. We both turned and came face to face with Amber Fell, one of the bitchiest girls on the planet, and Ethan's ex. "Can we help you Amber?" Ethan asked, a frown marring his beautiful face. "You two can do absolutely nothing to help me, not that I need help anyway," Amber sneered, tossing her light brown hair over her shoulder. "Then why are you interrupting our chat?" I asked her, copying her tone, something that displeased her greatly. "It seems you two are getting along just fine. Are you a thing now?" she asked, eyeing us both. "And that matters to you why exactly?" Ethan asked this time. "Just curious is all," she shrugged. "Curiosity killed the cat, and we don't need another death around here, we've had enough of them so far, so I suggest you keep you curiosity in check," I fake-smiled at her, walking to stand beside Ethan.

She was at a loss of words so turned around, storming away to the other side of the lot, almost stomping. I heard Ethan snort and chuckle silently beside me, causing me to chuckle as well. "Did I say anything bad?" I asked him, making him break to a full laugh. Vicki and Andy approached, intrigued by Ethan's laugh. "Is Rayna telling you jokes man?" Andy asked as he passed his arm over Ethan's shoulder. "No, she just managed to outwit Amber in snide comments," Ethan explained, and both Andy and Vicki laughed at that. "Now that was a sight I'm sorry I missed," Vicki laughed. "Next time, I'll record it for you," I winked at her, making everybody laugh harder.

Time passed by like water down the stream, and before I knew it, I had managed to wash at least twenty cars, making my muscles ache and my skin itching with so much water that I had gone through. I stopped for a few minutes, sitting on one of the lunch benches and looked around. Bonnie was also sitting by an SUV, probably tired as well. Matt continued work with Ethan and Andy, Vicki talked to a girl that I couldn't recognize Amber shot a glare at me and turned her back on me, Elena was running the cashier, Jenna stood to the far side, talking to what looked like a local reporter, Stefan was washing a car close to Elena, stealing a glance at her every now and then. The only one that was missing was the Queen of this whole event, Caroline. I was expecting to see her running from one student to the other, giving orders and being her normal bitchy-after-a-heartbreak self. Unfortunately, she was nowhere in sight.

I walked to the cashier, to ask if Elena had seen her. "Hey El, have you seen Caroline, we need a few more towels," I said calmly, making Elena raise her head at me. "No, I think she went to get a few sponges, but I haven't seen her since. Now, if Stefan hadn't told me that Damon left town, I would expect to find her in some corner, making out, but no such luck."

"Damon left town? How come?" I asked, pretending not to have a clue about it. "That's his style, show up, stir things a bit then bail before anyone can catch him," Stefan replied this time, approaching us from the left. "What a charmer," I rolled my eyes as I looked at Elena, who did the same thing. "It's actually a good thing that he left," Elena retorted, putting the cash she had been counting back in the box. "No argument there," I nodded. "I gotta go find Caroline and Jenna, can you watch the box for me?" she asked me, and I nodded. "Of course. I need a small break from all that water. I do love playing with it, but this much game is a bit too much for me," I joked, making her roll her eyes. Stefan kissed her softly and I tried not to snort at the sight. They behaved so much like any normal couple that it was almost silly.

After another hour, the car line seemed to be slowing down, meaning we had almost washed al the cars in this town. Just as I finished giving change to an elderly lady with a sweet smile, I heard a familiar cheerful voice. "How much is it for a wash and wax?" "That would be 25 dollars sir," I replied to my dad, who stood in front of me with his goofy smile reaching his ears. "Any chance of a discount?" "No sir, I'm sorry. This is a fundraiser for our football team, so there are no discounts." "In that case, here," he motioned as he gave me the money. "Thank you very much sir, our team will be forever grateful to you," I replied with my usual happy smile, making him chuckle yet again.

"How are things progressing?" he asked as he took his ticket. "So far so good. In the hour that I've been running the cashier, I've managed to make 455 dollars. I think our team might actually stand a chance at this year's games. How was your research?" I asked him, and didn't fail to notice how he tensed up. "Very good, I think I might be able to finish the next chapter by tomorrow morning." "That's great. Remember, you did promise to let me read it first okay?" "Of course honey, you know you are my first and most important reader," he smiled as he went to retrieve his car. After he left, I started worrying about Caroline. It was so unlike her to bail out of such an important event for the school that she had organized nonetheless.

As I counted the last of the money I had received, I felt the power of magic being used again, only this time it was much stronger. I turned around and saw Bonnie staring at the water on the road, and it slowly caught fire, spreading quickly to a car. Matt noticed the fire and drew her away, thus breaking her concentration and letting the flames die out as others threw buckets of water on the car. I noticed how shaken Bonnie was, but before I could get to her, Stefan was there. She looked at him with terror in her eyes, and fled the parking lot.

I approached Stefan, worried about what he had told her. "Stefan, what happened?" "She noticed that I saw her using her powers and asked me not to tell anyone. Her powers must have started developing." "Don't worry, her grandmother and I will be beside her for this. We can understand her better than anyone. I think Grams has started letting her in on the secret, but Bonnie's not taking it seriously. This should make her see that things are a lot different than she thought." "Okay. I hope she won't think I'm gonna tell on her." "She won't, I'll make sure of that. I'll call her grandmother right now, let her know of the events. Excuse me," I replied as I took my cellphone out and dialed Sheila Bennet's number.

She replied at the second ring. "Something wrong Rayna?" "Bonnie had a bit of an accident. She lost control of her powers and accidentally lit a stream of water on fire. Nobody's hurt or noticed it was her fault, but she's probably freaking out and on her way to you right now. Do you want me to come over and explain things to her, or do you want to do it alone?" "Leave us alone for now, I have to explain our family history to her. I'll call you and let you know when to come. She needs to learn about you, and I wonder how she's going to take it." "Not well, I'm sure, but we'll manage." "We always will honey. Wait, I hear a car. She's here, I gotta go." "Okay, you know where to find me if you need anything, bye," I said as I hung up the phone.

After I delivered the money to the principal since Caroline was nowhere to be seen still, I drove home, too tired to care about anything else that happened right now. That night, I woke up in the middle of the night, sure that someone had been watching me as I slept. It was that weird sixth sense that I had as a witch, but nobody was outside my window or in my dark room. I shook my head, irritated that my witchy powers had robbed me of a full night's sleep.


	8. Vampire babysitting and a bad night

**_And here we are once again._**

**_For the record, this is my favorite chapter so far. At first, I thought about cutting this whole day out, but then, who wouldn't want to read about Damon dancing? After all, that scene is among my top ten favorites from the show._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing, only my OCs._**

* * *

September 30th

Rayna POV

I woke up when my cellphone started ringing, and I groaned at the sound. My body was still sore from yesterday, and I wanted to curse at whoever had decided to call me at 7.30 in the morning. I sobered up immediately though when I saw it was Stefan. "Stefan, what happened, is everyone okay?" I asked, trying to shake the sleep off of me. "Far from it. A lot of things happened last night, and I have to get through them really fast. Damon managed to escape from the cell, he killed my uncle Zach and spent the night killing a group of drugged teenagers by the cemetery. The Sheriff just found their bodies. Furthermore, Elena figured out that something was off about me, she came to find me in my house last night and I told her what I am. I'm on my way to a coffee place to talk with her, since she decided to give me a chance to explain.

On the bad side, Damon is trapped inside the Boarding House, since I took his daylight ring, and he threatens to hurt Elena if I don't give it back to him. Am I a terrible monster if I ask you to go to the Boarding House and keep an eye on him for the duration of the day? I fear he might try to call Caroline and hurt her again or whoever is stupid enough to go to the Boarding house today. At least you have your powers to protect you from his attacks."

"I'm on my way Stef, don't worry about him, I'll keep him in check. Is there a key I can use to get in?" "I left my key under the welcome mat on the front entrance. Just in case, drink some vervain. He might try to bite you." "He won't have the chance Stef. You just make sure you get along with Elena, and leave your annoying brother to me," I replied as I ended the call.

What a way to wake up. I jumped in the shower really fast, going over the news Stefan had given me. I wondered how on earth had Damon managed to escape from the cell, but that was not important right now. He had killed a lot of people, one of them the last living Salvatore. Poor Zach. I finished my shower and dried up real quick, threw on a pair of dark jeans and a deep red blouse, slipped my feet in my black sneakers and blow-dried my hair as fast as I could. Every minute that passed was crucial. Who knew what Damon could come up with to pass his time trapped in that house. It was time for me to reveal my true self to the older Salvatore.

Thankfully enough, my dad was nowhere to be seen when I ran down the stairs. I drove as fast as I could without attracting attention to the old and dark colored Boarding House. I parked outside the entrance, and killed the engine. I knew he had heard me, but he had no way of looking out to see who had arrived at his lair. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and got out of the car. I walked the few meters that separated me from the door and bent to get the key from under the welcoming mat. It was a normal key, and it fit into the keyhole perfectly. I turned it to the right, and the bolt was heard as the door unlocked.

I pushed the heavy wood and the door opened, shedding some light in the dark entryway, letting the sunlight illuminate my way in. I walked in slowly, carefully, my senses on edge for Damon's presence. I couldn't feel him anywhere near me, but he was in there, I was sure, no doubt waiting for his prey to get away from the sunlight so he could attack and feast. I decided to play with him a little, since I was going to play the vampire babysitter today. "Stefan, are you home? I need to talk to you about that essay we have, the one that's due in two days," I called out, but nobody answered. I turned around and closed the door, shutting the sunlight out. I instantly felt a presence behind me and turned around, coming face to face with Damon's icy blue eyes, his ever-present smirk almost plastered on his perfect face. "Damon! You moron, you scared me," I gasped and hit him lightly on his chest, pretending not to know anything about his true nature. I did however notice how hard and well toned his chest was. "Well, this is certainly a happy surprise," he purred, his predatory tone not escaping my notice. "Stop it with the flirting Damon, I'm here to see Stefan, not you."

He frowned a bit, but didn't stop with the smirking. "I'm afraid Stefan is otherwise engaged, but I'm happy to distract you until he gets here. After all, you did just let yourself in to the house, so it's only fair that you wait here, with me, until he comes back." "Fine, I just hope he won't be long. I don't think I can tolerate your arrogance for too long," I retorted, walking past him to the living room.

I didn't have the chance to get much further though, since he grabbed me and forced me to turn around again, facing his cold eyes. I gasped at his sudden roughness. "You are going to stay here as long as I want and let me do what ever I want to you without complaining," he ordered me, his pupils dilating, attempting to compel me. "Sorry to burst that bubble Damon, but I'm not someone you can compel to do whatever you want," I smirked as I let my powers flow through me, and I had the pleasure of seeing his eyes widen in surprise before I sent him flying on the wall. He groaned as he scrambled to get up, fuming. "What the hell?" he growled as he looked at me with hatred. His glare reminded me of the phrase 'if looks could kill'. Well, if his glare could kill, I would have died at least a couple of times on the spot. "Don't bother attacking me Damon, I'm not a weak and helpless human girl like your usual prey," I warned him, but he didn't seem to listen to me. He lunged for my throat, his vampire face coming forward, but I was quicker. I sent a burning pain through his body, and he collapsed at my feet, writhing in pain. "I'm sorry for that, but I did warn you," I said as I let the pain subside a little. "Now, are you going to behave, or do I have to repeat that agonizing pain?"

He opened his eyes, glaring at me, but made no attempt to attack me again as he got up and went to pour himself a drink. "This is going to be a long day," I sighed.

Damon POV

This town had some serious secrets. Even I couldn't imagine that little Miss Rayna would be a witch, and quite a powerful one at that. That pain she sent through my body when I tried to attack her was the worst thing I had ever experienced in all my years as a vampire. It was like my bones were melting inside my body, like the sun was burning me from the inside. Now, after I had decided not to attack her again, she sat on the couch, staring at me with her dark eyes.

"I'm guessing Stefan sent you here?" I asked her in a bitter tone, even though I knew the answer. "Very good, you figured it out quickly enough. He told me to keep an eye on you until he gets home." "Gone to school again?" I retorted, downing the bourbon I had in my glass. "It's Saturday Damon, there's no school today, or I wouldn't be here. Although I would gladly skip school for a chance to fight you," she smirked at me, and I had to take a few calming breaths so as to not attack her again. It would only bring me more pain, and that was not something I wanted to experience. "How flattering," I replied coldly, making her chuckle.

"So, where is Saint Stefan today?" I asked, hoping to get some piece of information that might prove useful. "He didn't tell me, he just said I had to come here and make sure you don't do anything stupid for the duration of the day." "You are a terrible liar honey," I smirked at her, but she didn't budge. "Believe what you want. Either way, I don't care," she shrugged, getting up and making her way to the library. She scanned the old books that my brother had gathered over the years and had stored them here, to have something to read while he brooded over the centuries. She found something that apparently spiked her interest and brought it with her on the couch, placing the book on her lap and opening it on the first page.

"I hope you don't destroy any of Stefan's favorites, he gets really angry when people mess with his stuff," I informed her. "Speaking from personal experience?" she raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to look at me. I shook my head, getting more irritated with her with every moment that passed by. This sucked, big time. Not only was I trapped in my house, unable to go out without turning to a crispy critter, but I also had an unbelievably irritating witch sitting on my couch, reading a book from Stefan's collection and completely ignoring me. As my anger subsided, a million questions that required answers filled my mind. I thought that the only witch bloodline that existed in Mystic Falls were the Bennets. Apparently, the Silverstone bloodline was magical as well; they just had a better way of hiding it. They were no ordinary witches either. I had met plenty of witches in my time, and none of them had the power this one had, nor their eyes turned black when they used their powers. It was quite a shock when she didn't respond to my compulsion, and her eyes turned all fiery and pitch black right before me. This one was a witch I had to be careful around, that was certain.

"So, are you and Stefan partners or something?" I asked, hoping this was a better way to get her to talk without using her powers on me again. "Friends might be a better description," she replied, not even bothering to raise her head, much to my irritation. This whole ignoring thing was getting on my nerves. "You might wanna make sure he stays away from Elena though, he doesn't have much control over himself some days," I offered, but that didn't work either. "Damon, your attempts to turn me against Stefan are futile, I assure you. If there is one vampire I'm more than willing to kill, that's you. You are the one that attacked Vicki, you manipulated and used Caroline, you killed those drug addicts last night. Yes, they were lowlifes, but they were humans. You are the monster, not Stefan." "That's what vampires do honey, we kill people. We don't have another choice." "That is a lie and I know it. Stefan has been living here as much as you have, but he hasn't killed anyone. You, on the other hand, even killed your last living descendant yesterday. Now tell me, what does that make you?" she asked me as she looked at me with those dark eyes of hers. If things were any different, I would consider her a possible bedmate. Her sassiness and really beautiful features made her a killer combination.

"I told you, I just respond to my nature. Stefan has been denying his true nature for so long now, he's bound to snap at any given time." "And I'll be there to help him get back on track. He wasn't like this when he was human, so it's really not possible to become like you." "And you know that how exactly?" "He told me, but I also went through my ancestors' journals. They mention that Stefan was quite a kind and innocent boy, while you were more of a rebel and carefree spirit."

"They mention me?" I asked, curious as to the direction this conversation was going. I had no idea the Silverstones from my time had any interest on me. "Yeah, they do. Victoria says that, before Katherine Pierce came to town, you were like any normal young man that wanted to see the world. After she came and put you and Stefan under her spell, you changed completely." I almost growled at the mentioning of Katherine's name. "Don't speak about things you don't know," I hissed, and she shrugged, returning her attention to the book on her lap once again. It still hurt so much to remember how much I missed Katherine. It was rather quiet after that, for a while.

Rayna POV

The day progressed surprisingly calmly, and quite slowly, too slowly for my taste. At least I entertained myself with that book on Egyptian magic I found. Stefan had quite the library. I would have to ask him if I could borrow a few of these amazing books, after I finished babysitting the older and more annoying Salvatore brother of course. After I had mentioned the name of Katherine Pierce, Damon said nothing else nor he tried to pry any information from me, and continued drinking his bourbon. My guess was that he hadn't gotten over her death, even 145 years later.

It was close to midday when my cellphone rang, getting me out of the trance of ancient temples and weird spells I had gone in. The number was unknown, but I answered it anyway. "Hello?" "Hey babe, where have you been, it's been ages since we talked," a painfully familiar voice said on the other end. Such a bad move on my part. Mental note: never answer the phone if you don't recognize the number. "Chris, how many times do I have to tell you that the two of us are over, and not to call me anymore? Go back to your life, so I can go on with mine." "Actually, I was thinking about coming over to that town to see you. I really miss you babe," Chris whined, making me cringe at the sound. It was like nails scraping on a blackboard.

"Chris, it's over between us, I'm with somebody else now. After the scene you made and the way you behaved towards me, you really expect me to go back to you? Then you are stupider than I thought." "You already got another guy to replace me? Well, aren't you the cutest little slut," he sneered, and Damon smirked, listening in on the conversation. "Well, I might be a slut according to you, but somebody else has me now, so it's still too bad for you. Stop bothering me Chris, you are a real pain in the ass." "An ass that somebody else gets now, right?" he retorted, trying to rile me up. I knew better though. "Yeah, and from what he tells me, it's really good. Gotta go, got a date with my guy. See ya Chris, NOT!" I chimed, hanging up on him.

Damon continued smirking from his spot on the sofa across from me as I slipped my phone back in my jeans pocket. "Now that was interesting," Damon purred. "In what way exactly?" I asked him. "Oh, just finding out about your personal life. So, who's the lucky guy that gets that ass?" he smirked at me. "You are quite the snooper Damon, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out, not that I can actually see why is that of any importance to you," I dismissed him. "Oh come on, you are no fun. If you're gonna be my babysitter, at least help me pass the time until nightfall," he whined.

"Alright, but what exactly is your definition of fun?" I asked, actually getting kinda bored of the old book. One could read about magic only so much before the brain shut off from the weight of information. "Well, I was thinking about the old and gold recipe: do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight," he smiled seductively, wiggling his eyebrows. "Well, the last two parts you can forget about right now, but that first part is not bad actually. Can you dance though?" I challenged him, not sure why I was doing this. I had this crazy impulse to see if that body was gifted. He was insanely hot, even I had to admit it, but a hot body was nothing if the owner didn't know how to use it. "You just have to find out for yourself," he smiled again as he went to the stereo and put a CD in.

Soft, sensual tango music filled the room as he turned around, a Cheshire cat's smile on his perfect face. I put my book aside as he approached me slowly. "May I have this dance my lady?" he extended his hand at me. "I do hope you are a good dancer, I hate dancing with clumsy amateurs," I smirked as I gave him my hand, and he pulled me to him, slipping his other hand around my waist, bringing me even closer to him. "You'll soon find out," he purred as he started moving, quite gracefully I had to admit to myself. He was a lot better than Ethan, but that was expected, since he had more than a century and a half to perfect his moves. His body responded perfectly to my moves, and we lost ourselves in the sensual tempo. He released my body from his tight hold, still holding my hand as he twirled me around and pulled me sharply towards him again, making our bodies collide. His gaze was so intense, I felt my heartbeat going off at a fast pace, pure adrenaline igniting my veins. I had no idea why had that effect on me, but I couldn't stop my body from reacting like that.

Before we knew it, the song had ended. It then occurred to me that we had been staring at each other for the entire song. I decided to cool the atmosphere a bit, before my raging hormones got a hold of me, leading to unpleasant situations. "Not bad Damon, not bad at all. You are good with sensual songs, something that can be expected of you, given your whole style, but what about another type of dance?" I wiggled my eyebrows at him as I made my way to the stereo.

I went through the collection of CDs that were there and found a nice waltz collection. I put it on and I heard Damon groan at the selection. "Come on Damon, after such a difficult tango, a little waltz should be no problem for you," I smiled at him, walking to where he stood. The smirk returned on his face as he took me in his arms again. We swayed gracefully around the room, and I had to admit to myself yet again that he was really good. My inner voice reminded me though that, no matter how good of a dancer he was, he was still a cold-blooded killer. At least this type of song didn't require the bold moves he had used before, so I was safe now.

After that song also ended, he bowed like the perfect gentleman and kissed my hand softly, making me blush slightly, to my extreme annoyance. I should be hating him for what he had done, not react like a love-struck girl. "I hope I passed this test as well," he smirked, no doubt noticing my blush. "My turn to choose a song," he stated as he went to the stereo. This time, he chose a really slow blues, like those that you dance with your boyfriend the night of the prom kind of thing. I rolled my eyes before I took his hand and slipped in his embrace yet again. "Why do you always choose slow, romantic songs? I never dubbed you for a romantic guy Damon." "I'm not, but slow songs get your body closer to mine," he whispered to my ear, holding me tight against his body. I shivered involuntarily, and he no doubt noticed that, making me furious at myself. Even under two layers of clothing, I could feel every one of his muscles, and they were hard as rock. If he wasn't a vampire, he would be the perfect choice for me.

Oh, what was I thinking? This was the man that had attacked Vicki, the one that had used Caroline as a bloodbag, I should hate him, not flirt with him. It seemed that his constant flirting was getting to me. I had to distance myself from him, and fast.

As if the spirits heard me, my phone started ringing again. I tried to pull away from his embrace, but he held me in place. "Damon, my phone is ringing, I have to answer it," I said, hoping he'd let me go. "It's probably your annoying ex-boyfriend, leave it. Unless of course you want me to answer it and get this thing over with," he offered. "No thank you. If it's him again, I can handle him just fine. Excuse me," I said as he let me go. I fished my phone from my pocket and checked the caller ID. Yet another groan escaped my lips as I saw who was calling. "Idiotic Chris again?" Damon asked, pouring another shot of bourbon in his glass. "No, this is much worse," I replied as I answered the call.

"Hello Ms. Evans, how can I help you?" 'That is no way to speak to your mother Rayna,' my stupid excuse of a mother replied from the other end. "Well, in my opinion, the title of a mother comes with certain obligations, none of which you ever fulfilled, so there is no reason for me to call you my mother. You simply brought me to this world, but you are not my mother." 'You are so cruel Rayna.' "I get that from you. Is there something you need, kinda busy right now." 'I'm looking for your father, have you seen him?' "No, I haven't spoken to him since this morning at breakfast. Can I take a message?" 'Just tell him to call me, I need to talk to him.' "I hope you don't upset him, otherwise you'll have me to deal with." 'Ooh, I'm scared,' my mother scoffed. "You should be Ms. Evans, you know what I am capable of when I'm angry. Goodbye," I hung up on her, feeling more frustrated than ever. What the hell was that about?

"Trouble?" Damon asked from his spot on the couch. "Yes, as you no doubt heard. Where on earth is my dad?" I muttered, dialing his number. "I take it our little dancing session is over, you have to go find daddy dearest," he commented smugly. "Do you really think you're gonna get rid of me that easily?" I chuckled as I heard the ringing on my phone. After the third ring, my dad responded. "Good morning my loving daughter," my dad greeted me cheerfully. "Good morning to you too dad. Where are you?" "At the city hall, helping with a few preparations for an exhibit. Why, something wrong?" "I got a very interesting call just a minute ago." "She called you as well?" my dad sighed. "Yeah. She said she wants to talk to you about something." "I think she might want to come here and talk. She must be pretty desperate if she called you." "I do hope we have a hotel around here, because she is not entering our house, no freaking way!" I growled, so annoyed that my mother had managed to poison yet another day of my life.

"I doubt that. She always hated Mystic Falls; there is no way she'd want to come back here, even for one night. She probably wants to torment me a bit more, pretending she actually cares about us." "I hope you don't fall for her trap," I retorted. "No way sweetie. You know me because you are just like me in those matters. Once the glass breaks, there is no way to put it back together again. Your mother is out of my life." "I'm glad to hear that. You do however have to call her, otherwise she is going to come here if we continue ignoring her." "I know. I'll call her as soon as I get home. Where are you today by the way?" I looked over at Damon when my dad asked me that, and I saw him smirking.

"On my way to Mrs. Bennet's house, I have a few books she wanted to borrow and study. I'm going to stay there for lunch, but I'll see you at dinner, probably," I lied, making Damon's smirk wider. I sent him a little wave of pain as a warning, and the smirk disappeared immediately. "Okay honey, I plan on making a nice pizza tonight, my special recipe, so don't be late or I'll eat your pieces as well," my dad chuckled, and I joined in. "You do that I'll hurt you dad, so help me God," I fake-threatened him. "See you tonight sweetie, love ya," my dad said, hanging up.

I smiled as I put my phone back in my pocket, glancing at Damon's frowning face. "Something wrong Damon?" I asked with a sweet voice, a fake smile slipping on my face. "You didn't have to hurt me again you know, now you just ruined my dancing mood." "That's okay, I had no more energy in me to dance. I think I need an energy refill. Is there anything decent to eat around here?"

Half an hour later I was in the kitchen of the Boarding House, roaming the fridge for something decent to eat. I was contemplating between a sandwich and a salad when I heard Damon's annoying voice again. Didn't he have anything better to do than to stalk me around? "You have quite the body," he commented, making me straighten up immediately. "You are a pervert, you know that?" I retorted, glancing over my shoulder to see him lean against the doorframe, his muscular arms folded over his chest and the ever-present smirk on his face. For a moment I contemplated on using my powers to draw the curtains of the windows open, just to get him to leave me alone for a moment, but I thought that might be a really bad move, so I dismissed it. "Sometimes girls like that," he winked at me. "Not this girl. Now, I'm going to make some lunch, are you hungry?" I asked him as I turned back to the fridge.

The next thing I knew he was right behind me, his breath hot on the back of my neck. "Are you offering to satisfy my hunger?" he breathed, making me shiver from the sudden closeness. "I'm offering to cook for you, if that is what you mean. I'm thinking spaghetti carbonara, are you interested?" "You are going to cook?" he asked incredulously. "Unless you want to do it yourself, then yes, I'm offering to cook for you as well. We're both prisoners in here until nightfall or until Stefan comes home, so we might as well cooperate, for both our sakes. Now, are you up for it?" "Alright, but you better be a good cook. My taste is quite delicate," he replied, making me roll my eyes. "I'll do my best," I smiled sweetly as I moved to the radio and plugged my i-pod in. I chose my cooking playlist and pressed play, and the room filled with dancing music, not the kind that you hear in a club, but the type that gets you dancing wherever you are.

I bobbed my head as I grabbed a knife from the knife stand and started slicing the bacon in small ribbons. I heard Damon chuckle, but I didn't pay attention to him. "Interesting choice of music," he commented as he continued observing me as I worked. "It's my cooking playlist, I always listen to it when I decide to cook. It's a quirk," I shrugged. "You have a cooking playlist?" "It's my thing, I guess I'm weird like that. I think I have a playlist for about anything." "How about having sex?" he asked slyly, and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. "I haven't started on that one yet, but I'm sure my boyfriend will be quite helpful with that one," I replied, even though I knew I was leading this down a road I wasn't sure I wanted to go to.

"And would that be the lovely auburn haired gentleman I saw you dancing with at the Founder's Ball?" "Not yet, but who knows? If he passes the test, probably," I shrugged, knowing I was getting on his nerves. "And what exactly is the test?" "A series of tests actually, that if passed successfully, they will lead to the logical conclusion that he is worthy of my heart and attention." "All that trouble for your heart, it seems a bit overrated," he commented as he got the cheese and started grating it. At least he was being useful for once. "Haven't you ever been in love?" I asked him, not able to restrain my curiosity. "Yes, I have. It's painful, pointless, and overrated," he replied sourly, making my heart ache at the sound. His voice was full of venom, indicating he was still deeply hurt from the incident all those years ago.

We spent the rest of the hour in silence, my music the only thing that was heard in the room. After we got the sauce ready and the spaghetti were boiling in the pot, I took the opportunity to clean around the place and set everything in order. "Have you ever been in love?" Damon asked me suddenly, catching me by surprise. "Not really," I replied honestly. "I've had my fair share of heartbreaks, but none of them were serious enough to wound my heart. I guess I haven't found the one I belong with yet," I shrugged, looking at him as he dried his hands. "What about that Chris guy, wasn't he important to you?" "No, not really. Especially after that last incident we had, I realized how smart I was that I didn't give in to his pressure." "He wanted you two to go on to the next base huh?" he smiled at me. "Yeah, but also something else, something a lot worse than that. I would have given in to him, but he did something that erased him from my list of people I like and want to hang out with." "What did he do?" he asked, curious.

I sighed, not knowing if it was wise to tell him my life's story. You never knew which part of it he might try to use to his advantage. "You wouldn't understand Damon, let it go," I tried to avoid the subject. "I think I can keep up," he pressed. I took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to go on. "I'm sure you heard the conversation between me and my mom, right?" "Yeah. I take it you are not that close huh?" "Not close at all, and the roots of that problem go all the way back to my birth. From the moment I was born, she hated me, and I had no idea why until the day I found out that she was cheating on my father with one of our neighbors." "Are you sure you are not exaggerating a bit? After all she is your mother, she must have some sort of feelings for you." "You haven't met her, that's why you say that. You see, my mom is a real attention junkie. She wants people to ask about her, to be curious of her life, her personal views; she wants people to fuss over her every movement, like she is a movie star or something. From the moment I was born, I drew everyone's attention, and she was pushed at the shadows. That made her furious, and she grew distant and cold towards everyone. When I was a kid, I wanted her attention like she did, I wanted her approval, and went to extreme ends to get it, but to no avail. The highlight was when I wanted to dye my hair blond to match her color."

"Your mom's a blond?" "Natural blond with lovely light green eyes and she can look like a real doll without even trying. It still wasn't enough to get the attention on her, not when I was in the room. When I hit puberty, things got worse. Up until I was ten, I was just the cute little tomboy with the long dark hair that usually ran around, causing trouble. After I started filling out, she was fuming every time she looked at me. I even got depressed that my mom hated me, until that day a year ago when I returned home and heard my parents fighting. It turned out that my mom was seeing a guy on the side, one of our neighbors." "I imagine that didn't sit well with your dad." "No. My dad is usually a really calm guy. You'd have to rile him up for good to hear him yell at the tones I heard him yell that day. I got scared he might even do something worse, but thank goodness that he had his head straight and kept his cool. It was during that fight that I heard how much my mother hated me all these years. At least now we are away from her, with a chance to live a normal and pain-free life."

I lifted the lid off the pot and threw the contents in the strainer, steam rising from the sink. I shook the strainer a bit, making sure the spaghetti had no extra water in them before I threw them back in the pot. Damon brought the sauce and added it to the spaghetti as I stirred with a wooden spoon. After the food was ready, I took the two plates that Damon gave me and poured a healthy dose of the hot spaghetti in each plate. Damon took his plate and, after he gave me a fork, sat on one of the stools to eat. I sat across from him, poking at my food in silence.

"Have you tried to get her to talk about this whole situation? Maybe you'll get to some conclusion," he offered as he put a bite in his mouth. "And that question is exactly the reason why I broke up with Chris. That was the same thing he asked when I told him my parents had decided to split up. It's normal for you to ask that, since you haven't met her, but anyone that has met her and has been around her for any amount of time would never ask that. Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, hell, half the people of this town have met her and can tell you that reasoning with this woman is simply impossible. She has her own views in life, and is willing to stick to them no matter what, even if they are incorrect. She never liked Mystic Falls; she always thought it was too small and the community too closely knit for her comfort."

"She prefers large cities huh?" "More admirers for her. Small towns and their history are completely boring to her. She even suggested that this Boarding House be turned into some sort of hotel with a spa, since the place needed some glamour according to her. Half the leaders of the town and my father glared at her after she dared to say that. My grandfather told her that this building is a monument to this town, much like most of the old buildings, but she simply replied: 'so what? It's time to leave the past behind and move on to the future if we want to attract tourists.'" "I think I'm beginning to understand. I like big cities myself, but some things are not meant to change as time passes by." "Exactly. She is totally insensitive and actually said one day that, as soon as my grandparents would die, she would convince my dad to sell the house here so that we could never return here. I had heard her saying that to a friend of hers on the phone, but never dared to tell my dad. I did tell my grandma, but she laughed it off, saying that such a thing would never happen." "And apparently she was right." "My grandma was always right. It's a witch thing," I smiled at him, and chuckled as he rolled his eyes.

We washed the dishes and moved back to the living room, and I noticed that the place had gone darker, meaning that the day was slowly coming to an end. Pretty soon, Damon would be able to go out and attack innocent people, drain them of their blood. A question was nagging my head ever since I came here, but I was a bit reluctant to ask him. Finally, I got the courage to ask. "Why do you stay here?" The question must have taken him by surprise, because he looked at me with those gorgeous blue eyes of his, his face the mask of confusion. "If I go out, I'll turn to a pile of ashes honey, I thought you were smart enough to come to that conclusion." "I don't mean that. It is no big secret that you hate your brother. Why do you stay here if you don't like being around him? Is it just to torture him because he forced you to complete your transformation?"

His gaze hardened at my words. "He told you that huh?" "We had a talk after your capture," I nodded uneasily. I didn't like this Damon, all angry and dangerous. It looked nothing like the Damon that helped me cook and clean the kitchen. That was the human side he tried so much to kill, this was the vampire side, the dangerous one. "He forced me to live forever while the woman the I loved, the one that gave me her blood perished in that fire on the night of our human death. I promised him an eternity of suffering, I'm just living up to my promise." "Don't you think that 145 years of suffering are enough? After all, he is literally the only living family, or undead family in his case that you have left," I offered. "So? What are you suggesting, that I forgive him with teary eyes and we hug it out and go on with our lives like nothing happened? Vampires don't forget that easily Rayna," he shook his head, frowning.

Half of my brain was feeling sad for him, the other half was amazed at the sound my name made when he said it. It sounded almost sinful. I mentally slapped myself to get back on topic. "I realize that your relationship is quite strained, but does it sit well with you to torment the only family you have left? From what he told me, you guys were thick as thieves when you were human. I'm not saying you should go back to that right away, but I know he wants you back. Maybe if you tried to forgive him, things would get better." "Would you try to reconnect with your mother after all that she has done to you?" he asked in a harsh tone. "If I saw that she really meant it, then yes," I replied, knowing that it was probably a lie, not that it would ever happen. "Well, that's the difference between us. I am a vampire; I have no feelings, so there is no need for me to forgive my brother. Besides, it's more fun this way, to torture him and his little friends."

"Things might get out of hand one day, and you might do something you're going to regret later," I shot back to him. He sighed, going to the stereo and putting on a loud rock song. "No more talking, I'm bored. Come on, let's dance," he said as he swayed his hips to the song. I knew it was no use to try and talk some sense into him. He was never going to forgive Stefan. As the last of the sunlight disappeared from the windows, my phone rang. "Hey Stefan, what's up?" I asked as I eyed Damon with worry. He could disappear at any given moment. "Is Damon still there?" he asked me, sounding worried. "Yeah, he's right in front of me, dancing, why?" "Then it wasn't him that tried to attack Vicki."

"What? Who attacked Vicki?" I tensed up immediately. "I have no idea. Up until now I thought it was Damon that got out, but since he's still there, we have a new vampire in town, a dangerous one by the sound of that." "I'll see what I can do. Let me call Vicki and ask her what happened," I said as I hung up. "What happened?" Damon asked, curious. "I have no idea, but it seems we have a new vampire in town. Hold on," I held a finger at him as I dialed Vicki's cellphone. She answered at the first ring. "Rayna thank God, I was about to call you. Something really weird is going on." "What happened?" "I don't know if you've heard, but last night some of my old druggie buddies somehow died at the old cemetery. Their bodies were found burned to death, the news reporters are all over that." "I did hear. You should be happy you quit before you were among them. They probably lit a fire to keep warm and didn't pay attention to it."

"That's not the weird thing Ray. I was walking home from our dancing practice with Andy and just as I was about to go in my house, I came face to face with one of those that supposedly died in the fire at the cemetery, Jimmy. He was acting all weird, saying that I smelled real nice and the he wanted to taste me. When I tried to get his grip off of my hand, he tried to bite me. I hit him with my knee and ran into my house. For some weird reason though, he couldn't come inside. He said I would have to come out some time, and my brother was going to come home, and he would drink him up as I watched. I called Jeremy, but I told him not to come. The guy is really nuts Ray, I'm really scared."

"Don't worry, I'm on my way with reinforcements. You just stay in the house and don't invite him in. Do you know where Matt is?" "He's at the Grill, he's got a double shift. He will be home in a couple of hours though." "Don't worry, I'm on my way. Stay safe Vick, everything's gonna be fine," I reassured her as I hung up the phone and grabbed my jacket. "Sorry Damon, babysitting duty is over, the sun is down anyway, so you're free to go."

"It sounds like one of those that I fed on last night escaped my notice when I lit the bodies on fire." "Yeah, and he's either on transition or a newborn vampire that wants to drain Vicki dry. I don't know how he got vampire blood in his system, but I have to go get rid of him," I replied as I dialed Stefan's number. "Hey Stefan, Vicki is safe in her house, but the vamp that attacked her is waiting outside her house. Meet me there so we can deal with this problem." "You got it, I'm on my way," Stefan agreed. "Do you know where Jeremy is?" "Yeah, he's with Elena. He is really worried though, and if we don't call him with an update within the hour, he's going to go to Vicki's place." "I'll try to calm him down. See you there in a few," I hung up the phone.

As I opened the door and ran for my car, Damon got in my way, making me collide with him. "Damon, I have no time to play games. One of my friends is in danger," I huffed. "I'm coming with you," he stated like it was the most normal thing to say. "Why?" "I want to get rid of the newbie as well. Too many vamps in the town and the council will start getting suspicious. I'm just looking out for myself," he shrugged as he opened the passenger door. I stood motionless, not sure what to think. "Are you going to get in or am I going to have to drive the car?" That got me out of my trance. "Nobody drives my baby but me," I shook my head as I got behind the wheel.

I started the engine and sped down the driveway, going over 60 miles an hour within seconds. "Easy sweetheart, no need to rush," Damon said, amused at my current state. "Damon, there is a hungry vampire outside Vicki's house, with no real understanding of what he has become and a raging thirst that must be quenched. Anyone that passes by that place is a potential victim, and I think we've had enough funerals, don't you?" I retorted, pushing the pedal even more, making the engine growl in response.

I was in Vicki's neighborhood within minutes. I parked my car two houses away and killed the engine, taking a few breaths to calm my racing heart. I always had a thing for speed, but now I was anxious about the situation, which made my heart race even more. "Where is Stefan?" I muttered, more to myself than to Damon. "I don't feel him, so he's still not here," Damon replied as he scanned the area.

I felt my cellphone buzzing and took it out. It was Stefan. ""Are you here?" I asked him, not even bothering to greet him. "Almost, I can see the guy. He's hiding on the tree outside her room. I'm gonna try and scare him away, you stay in your car." "Stefan, I can help, I'm not weak." "I know, but we need to move him away from the house. Vicki must be kept in the dark at all costs. I'm going in, you distract Vicki. Call her and keep her attention from what will happen outside," was the last thing he said before he hung up.

I sighed, knowing I had no choice but to comply. Damon and I stayed in our spots while we saw a shadow who I assumed was Stefan creep down the road, and I dialed Vicki's phone. She answered immediately. "Rayna, where are you, I can feel that he is still out there." "It's okay, I'm almost there. Has he made any moves to get in?" "No, but I can tell he's really weird, more than usual. I don't' know what's happening to him." "He's probably on withdrawal, and that combined with the sight he must have seen last night surely damaged his sanity really bad. You just stay inside, not matter what you hear from outside, don't go out. I'm just around the corner, with help." "You brought the sheriff?" "No, if we notify her now, the guy is gonna go crazy and try to get in the house and probably hurt you. I brought two friends, we're going to lure him away and then call for the sheriff." "But he's really strong, you might get hurt." "They're boys Vick, and I'm staying out of the action. We'll just scare him; since he's high on drugs, he'll freak out and run away. Then we can simply call for the sheriff."

I saw the shadow coming down from the tree and facing the other shadow, both in a fighting stance. "Rayna, I heard something from outside," Vicki said, sounding scared. "He's just trying to get you to open the door so he can get to you, stay inside. I can see him, my friend will scare him away." I saw Stefan lunging for him, and the other guy falling on the ground and fleeing in the forest. "He's gone in the forest," Damon whispered as he got out of the car. "Vick, I gotta go, the creep is going in the forest. Stay in and call Jeremy to calm him down and assure him that you're alright. I'll be there as soon as we catch the guy," I said before I hung up and followed Damon. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, all of a sudden blocking my way. "Don't tell me you really expect me to stay here while you guys kill him." "Hold it right there witchy, you're not coming with me." "Damon, whether you like it or not, I'm coming with you. Now let's go, Stefan might need our help."

He sighed as I walked around him and towards the forest. We walked in the pitch-black darkness, me trying not to trip and fall behind. I could faintly hear Stefan's voice as he tried to reason with the other guy. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard, and both me and Damon ran to wherever the shot was heard. Damon was quicker, and he attacked the guy with the gun. Stefan was on the ground, groaning, while the new vampire was feeding on the dead human that had the gun. I pulled out the dagger I had with me and swung it on the vampire's head, cutting it off completely. The body fell limp on the ground, and I pushed it off the guy. Before I could check on him however, another shot was heard and I felt a searing hot pain in my stomach. I clutched at my belly and felt the warm blood dripping from the wound, and a sense of numbness spreading over my body. I fell on the ground, darkness clouding my vision. The last thing I heard was Damon calling my name. Then, darkness.

Damon POV

I had no idea why I had decided to follow the little witch to this stupid salvation mission. I kept telling myself that I had to meet with Stefan so I could get my ring back and get rid of the newbie vampire that had escaped my attention when I killed all those teens at the cemetery. Deep down though, I was concerned, and this was something entirely new to me. I was worried about my brother, about the witch, even about Elena. As we drove to my previous blood bag's house, I kept thinking about the things Rayna had told me about her life. I shouldn't even care, but I did. Even though I would never admit it to anyone, not even myself, I spent a rather entertaining day with the annoying little witch. She was an excellent dancer, she had a backbone, she was more than willing to fight me and she was a great cook.

The most peculiar thing though was how much she cared about my relationship with Stefan. She tried more than once to help me understand my hatred for him, even when I asked her about her relationship with her mother. She had shared her life's story with me, and it was a rather sad one. I felt a bit connected with her, since my father hated me as much as her mother hated her. It seemed surreal to me that a mother could hate her daughter, but the phone call between the two women indicated that her mom was not exactly mother material. She was also willing to help her friends, one of which was Stefan according to her. I wondered if that was a good or bad thing for me.

We reached the site where Stefan was trying to reason with the guy, that apparently was still in transition and mad with thirst. Before we could do anything though, several gunshots were heard from our right and Stefan fell on the ground, holding his stomach. I ran at vampire speed and bit the neck of the idiot that had shot my brother, making him collapse on the ground. I abandoned him and ran to my brother, examining his wounds. I pulled the first bullet out of his body, and froze when I saw it was made out of wood. "Wooden bullets, they know," I muttered as I showed it to him. "Why did you help me?" Stefan asked me, his green eyes staring straight at me. "Nobody else gets to kill you but me," I replied as I grabbed my ring from his hand and helped him up.

We turned to the body of the guy that had shot him and the newbie was feeding off of him. Before we could make any moves though, the guy's head was severed from its body and rolled on the forest ground. Rayna stood above the headless body, holding a bloody medium length dagger in her hand. Where the hell did she get that? She moved closer to examine the body of the asshole that shot Stefan but, before she could get real close, a gunshot was heard and she drew back, dropping her dagger on the ground and holding her stomach. The scent of her blood filled the air, and it was so delightfully sweet. "Rayna!" Stefan exclaimed as he tried to get to her. I held him back though. "Hold it there bro, you take care of the newbie's body and the idiot that shot her and I'll take her home," I offered, just as other voices could be heard coming closer from the same place where the other hunter had come.

I went closer to her, watching as she faded into unconsciousness. "Rayna?" I called for her, but her eyes simply fluttered then closed for good. I sighed, picked up her dagger then moved to grab her, but something else drew my attention. It was something that looked like a pocketwatch, but it was not anything ordinary. As soon as I grabbed it, the dials pointed straight at me. It was some sort of vampire compass or something. A rather clever invention, very useful for the humans to find us, so it would be wise to keep it for now. I put it in my pocket and lifted Rayna in my arms, just as Stefan grabbed the headless body. "We gotta get out of here now, they're getting closer," Stefan informed me and we fled the scene in vampire speed.

We reached the house in record time and, while Stefan put the bodies of the vampire and the human idiot in the basement to be buried later, I placed Rayna on the couch. She stirred and her eyelids fluttered as she fought to gain consciousness. "I told you not to come with me," I said as Stefan came from the basement, talking on the phone with what sounded like Elena. "No, I need you to come here right now, it's important," Stefan said and I heard Elena comply before hanging up. "What on earth happened?" he asked as he got closer to her. "The dead guy must have thought she was also a vampire," I shrugged as I took off my jacket. I went and poured myself a healthy dose of whiskey, since the scent of her blood was so enticing; I wondered how Stefan could withstand it. She smelled so sweet, how come I didn't notice it all day?

"Rayna, can you hear me?" Stefan asked her as she stirred. "We have to take out the bullet before we heal her," he looked at me. "What are you looking at me for? Do I look like I want to play operation on her?" I replied, and he rolled his eyes before going to the kitchen to bring something to take out the bullet. While he was in there, I came closer to her, observing her closely. As I leaned next to her, her eyes opened slowly. They were full of pain and anguish. "You are one stubborn witch, you know that?" I smirked at her. "I'm always stubborn when it comes to vampire business," she replied weakly, trying to move but I held her in place.

"Easy there witchy, you still have the bullet in you. We need to take it out before we can heal you." "Then why don't you move that ass of yours and do something about it? Or do you keep that ass just for dancing?" she replied weakly, making me chuckle without even realizing it. On the verge of death and she was still as sharp tongued as ever. "Stefan's gone to bring some tweezers or something. In the mean time, lay still and be a good girl." "Why be a good girl when I can be a bad one and have all the fun I want?" she smiled cheekily, as Stefan came from the kitchen with a set of tweezers.

The doorbell rang, and I went to answer the door. Elena stood in the doorway, looking more concerned than ever. "What happened?" she asked as she made her way around me and into the house. She stopped on her tracks and gasped when she saw Rayna on the couch, blood staining the lower front of her blouse. "Oh my God Rayna, what happened?" she asked as she went closer to her. "Some idiot hunter shot me with wooden bullets, thinking I was a vampire," Rayna replied weakly. "We have to get you to a hospital," Elena said, eyeing Stefan with the tweezers. "What are you doing?" "The bullet is still in her. It's made out of wood, we have to get it out now, and I can use my blood to heal her afterwards."

"Won't that turn her into a vampire?" Elena asked, terrified. "No. Vampire blood is healing to humans," he shook his head. "I'd have to die with vampire blood in me to turn into a vampire El, don't worry. You don't need to heal me though," Rayna replied as Stefan raised the bottom of her blouse to take a closer look on the wound. Rayna cringed, but said nothing as Stefan poked around her wound with the tweezers. "If we don't heal you, you'll die in a few minutes sweetheart. I don't really care, but I'm in no mood to bury yet another body tonight," I shrugged, making Elena glare at me. "Don't worry, I have no intention of dieing tonight," she breathed as Stefan took out the bullet. "Rayna, you have to be healed. I will feed you my blood and you'll be fine in no time," Stefan tried to reason with her. "No need Stef. Thanks for the offer, but I've got this. Now Elena, whatever you see, don't freak out. I'll explain everything later," Rayna said as she placed her right palm over her wound, and started muttering, her eyes closed in concentration. I couldn't make out the words, but a soft white light could be seen from where she had her palm, and Elena gasped at the sight.

A moment later, the light faded and Rayna lifter her hand to reveal that the wound had healed completely. "Rayna, what did you do?" Elena asked in a breathless voice. "I healed myself," she replied as she made a move to get up. Elena was at her side in a flash, holding her up. "I'm fine Elena, just a bit dizzy. All I need is a good meal and a goodnight's sleep and I'll be good as new tomorrow morning. A shower is not a bad idea as well," she muttered as she looked at her ruined, bloodstained blouse. "Too bad, I liked this blouse," she frowned, touching the stains with her fingers. "Rayna, are you a witch?" Elena asked in a faint voice. "Yeah. I'm sorry I never shared this with you, but it was not like you would believe me before all this supernatural business crashed into your life. I will answer any questions you have, but for now I have to go change and calm Vicki down, I'm sure she's probably going crazy with worry."

"Jeremy is with her. What happened anyway, was it another vampire?" "Yeah, but he's no longer a problem," Stefan replied this time. "Yeah, Rayna cut his head off with her dagger. Where did you learn such moves by the way?" I asked as I held her dagger in the light. It was really a fine specimen of a blade. "It doesn't take a master's degree to cut someone's head off Damon," Rayna retorted as she got up with ease and took the blade from my hands. "Let me clean this with some water, wash my hands and we're off your arms for tonight," she stated as she headed for the kitchen. Elena looked like she had been told that she was transported to fairyland, Stefan was also a bit confused, while I was just surprised at this witch's ability to face such life or death situations with ease. Either she was bat-shit crazy or too calm to realize that she almost died tonight.

"You cut someone's head off with that thing?" Elena asked her as she came back, her hands and blade clean from the blood. "That someone was a newborn vampire that had escaped Damon's wrath last night and somehow came back as a vamp, which can only mean that there is another vampire somewhere around here, feeding their blood to innocent people. We better be careful." "I should had known it was you that killed those children out in the cemetery," Elena yelled as she glared at me. "You monster," she added, seething. "That's what I am honey, better get used to it," I shrugged, sipping on my whiskey. "Come on Elena, what did you expect form a coldhearted monster like him?" Rayna cut in, pulling Elena to the door. "Rayna, are you sure you shouldn't go to the hospital? You need to be checked out," Stefan interjected, worried. "I'm just fine Stefan, all I need is a good meal and a good night's sleep to replenish the lost power. I'll call you in the morning so you can see I'm fine. Now, you'll have to forgive us boys, we need to go. Elena, can you drive me to my car?"

"Actually, I have to talk to Stefan," Elena said uneasily. "I'll drive you there, let's leave the lovebirds to their private business," I offered, downing the last of my drink. "What happened Damon, today's events turned you to a gentleman?" Rayna raised her eyebrow at me. "No honey, I just need to go out there and find someone to drink from. I was in all day and all I ate was the pasta you made. I need some blood in me, and that moron's blood was not satisfying to say the least." She shrugged, making her way outside. We both got in my car, leaving Stefan with Elena to talk about whatever was they had to talk about.

I drove away, rolling the windows down so the scent of her blood wouldn't overwhelm me. Her wound was healed, but the blood from her blouse was still slightly wet and it appealed to me greatly. "Did you guys get rid of the body of that vamp?" she asked, finally breaking the silence. "Stefan has it in the basement, he'll probably bury it after the conversation with his girlfriend," I replied, not bothering to look at her. She stayed silent, and after two minutes of absolute silence, I turned to see her staring straight ahead, her face the mask of deep thought.

"A penny for your thoughts," I quirked, making her smile slightly. "I'm just trying to think of a good excuse for the guy to tell Vicki. I can't tell her the truth, but I have to be really convincing. Got any ideas?" "You can tell her the guy was really a psycho and split," I offered as we rounded the corner where her car was parked. "That's actually a good one. Well done Damon, you are quite the thinker," she nodded as I stopped by her car. "You shouldn't go like that to your friend," I motioned to her blouse. "I have an extra blouse in my car, I'll just change and burn this one later. Thanks for the ride; I'll see you, well, whenever I see you again. Bye," she waved as she got out of the car and made her way to her car.

She unlocked the trunk and searched through it, pulled out a black blouse and, like nothing had happened, took off her bloody blouse, tossed it in the trunk and put on the other. She had quite a nice body, I'd give her that, and that black bra she wore was really tempting. She finished fixing her clean blouse and turned around to face me. "Enjoying the show pervy boy?" "You could do better," I replied. "I'll keep that in mind for the next time, if there is one, though I doubt it. Now get out of here," she shooed me off as she closed the trunk of her car and made her way to the Donovan house. I took off into the night in search of my meal, with a smile on my face. What was wrong with me? This girl was affecting me greatly, and I wasn't sure I liked it. Maybe the fact that I had spent the better part of my day with her had gotten in my head. I needed a fresh meal, and right now it would be a great idea to find a victim to dry.

Rayna POV

After Damon's car disappeared down the road, I went to my car's side mirror to check my face for any scratches or bruises or blood spatter. When I found that there were none, I locked my beauty and made my way to Vicki's house. I took a few breaths to calm myself and knocked on the door. Matt answered it, looking furious, but as soon as he saw it was just me, he relaxed. "Oh Rayna, thank God. Come on in," he motioned. I got in and made my way to the living room where Vicki and Jeremy were sitting. As soon as Vicki saw me, she launched herself at me. "Oh Rayna, are you okay?" she asked as she hugged me tightly. "I'm fine Vick, no blood no foul. The guy took off before we could catch him," I reassured her, rubbing her back.

"Who was it?" Matt asked as he came in the living room as well. "I don't know, but before Stefan, Damon and I could calm him down, the guy went all berserk and took off into the woods." "Stefan and Damon Salvatore?" Jeremy asked, confused. "Yeah. I called Stefan, asking him to help, and his brother was with him, so he offered to help. Too bad we couldn't catch him. What did he tell you Vick?" "He showed up before me in a flash, saying that he had missed me and that I smelled delicious. Jimmy was always one for experimentation, I guess he took something that affected his mind more than all the other times," Vicki replied. "We need to go to the Sheriff, file a report for this. With all those animal attacks, the guy could easily be the next victim," Matt offered. "Matt's right, we better go right now. Maybe, if we're fast enough about this, the guy makes it out in one piece," Jeremy offered. "He'll probably be able to tell us what happened in the cemetery last night," Matt nodded.

"I heard about that this morning. Who were those kids?" I asked, pretending not to know. "My old buddies who I used to get high with. That tomb in the old cemetery was our spot, where we used to go and get high all night. They must have lit a fire to keep warm and got so high they fell unconscious and the fire burned them. God, and to think I could have been among them," Vicki shivered as she rubbed her arms. "Relax Vick, you are here, you are alive. We better go to the police station, time is of the essence," Matt urged her as he held her jacket for her. "Yeah. Jeremy, you need a ride home?" I asked as I got up. "Sure, but don't you should go to the station as well to testify or something?" Jeremy asked me. "I will, but I have to notify Stefan and Damon, and my dad as well. Come on, I'll drop you off at home on my way to my place."

I dropped Jeremy at his house and, as I drove to my own, I called Stefan. I just hoped that his talk with Elena had ended. He answered on the second ring. "Hey Rayna, what's up?" "Everything's fine. Vicki is just fine, and she's on her way to the police station to report the attack. The sheriff will probably want to talk to us as well, we need to figure out what we're going to say when Damon returns home." "He's right here," Stefan answered, much to my surprise. "What's up witchy, trouble in paradise cove?" Damon's cocky voice sounded in my ear. "No, but we need to figure out our story for the cops so that we don't arise suspicions. For now, all that Vicki, Matt and Jeremy know is that I called Stefan to help me with that guy and, since you were with him, you offered to help. The rest, we'll have to figure out on our own." "Why did you have to get me into all this?" he whined, making me roll my eyes. "Now it's done Damon, try to figure out your story and call me to let me know. I have to go home and tell my dad, then go to the police station." "Whatever," he muttered before he hung up.

I shook my head as I drove up to my house's garage. I took a deep breath, got out of the car and made my way to the house, thinking what to tell my dad. I opened the door and heard him talking to someone. I followed the sound of the voices and found him in his study, talking to Mayor Lockwood. "Good evening," I said, making them both turn to the doorway. "Rayna, welcome home," my dad smiled at me. "Hello Rayna," Mayor Lockwood greeted me, and I returned his smile. "Good evening Mayor Lockwood, though my evening wasn't that good. Rather eventful actually," I replied, making my father's smile disappear from his lips. "What happened honey?" my dad asked, worried. "I was on my way home from Mrs. Bennett's house when I called Vicki and she told me that one of her old friends had showed up in front of her so fast she didn't even realize it, and told her that she smelled delicious. Vicki freaked out with his strange behavior and locked herself in her house, then she called me. I thought it would be a good idea to go there with some reinforcements, so I called my classmate, Stefan Salvatore and asked him to help me.

He showed up with his brother Damon and we chased the guy into the forest. Before we could reason with him though, he freaked out on us and fled, running into the dark forest. I knew we couldn't hunt him in there, so we decided to come back and let the police know of the event. Vicki is on her way to the police station."

I could see how worried both the Mayor and my dad were as I told them the story. They had probably realized that the boy on the loose was a vampire. "You should had called the sheriff in the first place," my dad stated, looking more troubled than ever. "I thought we could handle the guy, but he freaked out when he saw us and ran like a bat outta hell into the forest. According to Vicki he was a member of that bunch of kids she used to hang out with. It seems the rest of his gang died in that fire at the cemetery, and he probably freaked out when he saw that and ran to the first person he thought about. Vicki said that he looked really loony," I informed them. They looked at each other, silently communicating. "Okay, you should go to the police station so you can report your part of the story Rayna. Make sure to call your friend Stefan and tell him to come to the police station as well. The sooner this matter can be solved the better for all of us," the Mayor said, and I nodded in compliance. "I just hope they find the poor guy before he turns to another victim of that animal that lurks in the woods. One crazy guy running in the forest at night cannot end well," I added, worried. The Mayor nodded as he got up and left.

"Come on honey, let's go to the police station," my dad said as he grabbed his jacket. I nodded as I followed him to his car. On our way there, I called Stefan and told him to come to the police station, and he said yes. We arrived there, and Vicki was just getting out, Matt by her side. "Hey Vick, are you done?" I asked, concerned. "Yeah. The Sheriff is in, but she sent a few of her men to search for Jimmy. I just hope they find him before that animal gets to him," Vick said, sounding sad. "I know Vick, I pray for that as well. You just go home and get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" "Sure," she nodded as Matt led her to his truck. My dad and I got in the police station and we were asked to wait, so we sat on the chairs in the waiting area.

A minute later, the door opened and Stefan came in, followed by Damon. "Hey Rayna, how are you?" Stefan asked as he came to sit beside me. "Still a bit shaken, but all in all, just fine." "We just saw Vicki out there, she seemed pretty shaken up as well," Damon commented. "Of course she was shaken up Damon, with what she went through it's only normal. By the way dad, meet Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Guys, this is Albert Silverstone, my one and only dad." "Nice to meet you boys. Thank you for helping my daughter," my dad smiled at them as he shook both their hands. "It's nice to meet you too sir," Stefan greeted him. "Are you two Zach's nephews?" my dad asked, and I noticed Stefan tensing a bit. "Yeah. He left town for a while though, but he'll be back in a month or so," Damon replied. Stefan tensed, but covered it up really good. "He did?" dad asked, looking troubled. "He said that, anything you need, you can ask me," Damon added pointedly, and dad looked at him, confused.

At that moment, the Sheriff came out of her office, and my dad got up to talk to her. "Now, before he comes back, what's our story?" Stefan whispered to us. "We chased the guy at the woods, we tried to get him to calm down, but he freaked out and took off into the night. I already hinted to the Mayor and my dad that the boy was a vamp, we'd better support that. The heat will turn on him and will get off of you guys," I replied, checking to see if anyone could see or hear us. "You have all of this figured out, don't you?" Damon teased, smirking at me. "Of course Damon, when it comes to vampires, I always have a plan in my mind," I smiled cheekily at him.

My dad called for me to go to him, and I nodded, glancing once at the boys before making my way to where my dad and the Sheriff were. "Don't worry Rayna, this will only take a moment. The Sheriff wants to ask you a few questions," my dad assured me and I turned my attention to the blond woman in front of me. "Let's go to my office, we'll be better in there," she motioned and all three of us entered the small room. "Now, why don't you sit down and tell me exactly what happened, with a timeline if you can," the Sheriff said as she sat behind her desk. "Alright. I was coming home from a visit to Mrs. Bennett's house."

"What were you doing there?" the Sheriff asked. "I had asked her for some books on the town's history, I've been trying to complete our family tree, with names, birthdates and the likes, and she said she had a few notes on that so I went to see if I could use her notes on my project. I was on my way home when I decided to call Vicki and ask her how her dancing practice had gone, but before I could ask her about it, she said that one of her friends from her dark past had suddenly appeared in front of her as she was walking home, and spoke nonsense about her smelling delicious. She freaked out, kneed him in the groin and ran in her house. For some weird reason, the guy couldn't get in her house, so as I called her, she asked for my help. I thought about calling Matt, but then I thought about calling more people to help us. If this guy was on drugs, we had to have a few more pairs of hands to help us, so I called Stefan Salvatore. He came, along with his brother Damon."

"Salvatore huh? Any relation to Zach?" the Sheriff asked. "They are his nephews," my dad replied before I could. Sheriff Forbes looked at him and they communicated silently before she turned her eyes on me again. "So, what happened afterwards?" "I met up with Stefan and Damon outside of Vicki's house, and we spotted him trying to lure her out. I swear, the guy must have been really high, his behavior was not normal at all. We tried to reason with him, but he took off into the woods real fast. We followed him, fearing that he might trip over a root or something and get really hurt into his drugged state." "Didn't you get scared?" my father asked this time. "Dad, we're talking about a boy high on drugs that went berserk and straight into the woods where that animal still lurks. Leaving him in there is a sure death sentence."

"But you did leave him in the end," the Sheriff interrupted. "Well, not exactly. We reached the clearing he was at, and we tried to get him to calm down, assure him that he didn't have to fear us, but just wouldn't listen. He kept saying, I have to get out, I have to leave," then all of a sudden, he took off deeper into the woods. Damon suggested to alert you guys, since it would be suicide to remain in there, alone and unarmed, so we got back and I went home to tell my father and then head here to report the incident to you." "Do you remember what that boy looked like?" the Sheriff asked. "He was tall, a bit taller than me, with dark brown hair and light brown eyes I think. I couldn't see all that well in the darkness of the woods. He did look pale though, too pale to be okay physically. He wore a black hoodie that had dirt on it, a pair of dark blue jeans and black sneakers."

"Very good Rayna, that's exactly the description Vicki gave us. Thank you for your information, you and your dad can go home for the night." "Are you going to search the woods for him?" I asked, pretending to be worried. "We will, I have already sent a few officers to start the search and we will continue until we find him. In the meantime, if you see him anywhere or hear anything about him, I want you to come to me immediately, understand?" the Sheriff said, looking straight into my eyes. "Of course Sheriff, anything to help you." "Very good." I got up and exited the office, my father right behind me. I saw Stefan and Damon looking at me, while Damon smirked at me. "Hold on sweetie, I need to talk to the Sheriff, I'll be right out. Wait for me in the waiting room, will you?" "Sure thing dad," I nodded, making my way to the chairs.

"Very nice performance, you should go for the acting classes," Damon smirked at me. "Thank you Damon, I shall consider your opinion on the subject. Just make sure whatever you say to the Sheriff sticks to what I reported, for your own good anyway." "Quit the threats honey, they don't suit on a pretty face like yours." "They do, especially when the result has you writhing in pain, like this morning, remember?" I smiled at him, making him frown. My dad came out of the Sheriff's office and I hurried to go to him. "Ready to go home?" he asked. "Yeah. I think that pizza you promised me is almost mandatory right now, after so many events today." "As you wish sweetie. Come on. Goodnight boys, it was nice meeting you," my dad waved at them as we exited the police station.

During our ride home, my dad was really quiet and serious looking. I decided not to speak about anything. He would talk when he was ready. When we parked and got in the house, my dad finally spoke. "Rayna, go change and come to the kitchen when you're finished. I think it's time I fill you in on some things, for your own safety." I nodded, already aware of what he wanted to tell me. It was such a relief that he had finally decided to talk to me about the things he talked about with the others at the council. I went upstairs and changed into a pair of comfy sweatpants and a light purple T-shirt. When I got to the kitchen, my dad was making the sauce for the pizza.

"Hey dad, I'm here. What is it that you want to talk about?" "Have a seat sweetie," he motioned to one of the stools around the counter. I complied, sitting on the one positioned across from him, watching him as he worked. "What I'm about to tell you, you must never share with your friends under any circumstances. They are far too young to understand the seriousness of the matter at hand." "Dad, my friends and I are of the same age, I'm sure if I can understand, they can keep up." "Please Rayna, this is actually very important. I need you to keep this to yourself, for now at least, and I hope you never have to tell your friends about it. I need your word on this." "You have it dad. What is going on, you're starting to scare me," I said, hoping I looked convincing enough.

This was really important that my dad thought I was clueless of the supernatural world entwined with our own. "And you haven't even heard the worst of it yet. Now, do you remember when your friend Vicki was attacked by an animal at the forest not too long ago?" "Yeah. The sheriff and her deputies captured that mountain lion responsible for the attacks, but I never believed that it was the animal that attacked Vicki." "How so?" "Dad, I was there at the party that night, I saw her before the ambulance took her away. As far as I know, lions are like big cats, and cats scratch and claw when they attack someone or something. Vicki didn't have any scratches on her. Whatever attacked her, it was not that mountain lion."

"And you're right, it was not that lion that attacked her. It was something far more dangerous, something from a species that is kept from the public, a member of which you met tonight." "I'm not following dad, you lost me." "Sweetie, tonight you came face to face with nature's greatest predator, if you can call it a part of nature, and you have no idea how lucky you are that it didn't attack you as well."

He stopped working and came to face me directly. "You remember that boy that you scared away from Vicki's house?" "Sure, Jimmy. I hope they find him before whatever monster is out there gets to him." "That's the problem Rayna, HE is the monster, and apparently it's not just him." "What do you mean?" "Do you remember what Vicki told you about his behavior?" "Sure, he acted all weird, but that can be expected from a guy that is on drugs most of the day." "Sweetie, try and remember the details of his behavior. Please, it's quite important."

I stayed quiet, pretending to remember. "Well, Vick said that Jimmy appeared in front of her like that," I snapped my fingers. "He looked really pale, and I can confirm that, his skin was almost white, and he said that she smelled delicious though I don't know what to make of that. Vicki also said that he grabbed her really hard, like he had the strength of ten men, but when she ran to her house, he couldn't get in for whatever reason, which is really weird. A strong guy like him could just kick the door down and go after her without any trouble."

I looked at my dad and he was studying me carefully. "Sweetie, that boy Jimmy is no longer a human." "Then what is he dad?" "He is a vampire," my dad said carefully. "A what? Dad, that's crazy, things like that don't exist in real world, only in old books and fantasy movies." "Unfortunately, it's true," he assured me. "It can't be true! It's just impossible," I said, desperate as I got up from the stool. "Rayna, think about the facts that you just told me. How many bodies have been found ever since we moved here from the so-called animal attacks?" "A lot, and this whole thing started a little before we moved back here." "Quite right. I contacted the council as soon as they found your friend Vicki to make sure it was those evil creatures."

"The council?" "Yes. There are a set of people in this town that know about this situation ever since the first time vampires tried to take over the town, and every generations swears to protect the town from vampires. The council consists of one or several members from the founding families, the same families that defended our town the first time." "The founding families?" I gasped, even though I already knew about that. "Yes. I am in, Sheriff Forbes and her deputies, the Mayor, his wife, your friend Damon is most likely aware of the situation through his uncle. I suspect Zach left because he couldn't take the pressure anymore. Logan Fell is also in, and Elena's parents were members before their death as well."

I stayed silent, taking in the information. I had no idea the council was so extensive. They were really serious about their goals. "Sweetie, please don't be angry with me. I kept this from you because I knew you would never believe me if you didn't see the facts with your own eyes." "Does mom know?" "No. She would never understand. She was not born in this town, and outsiders must never know about this. The situation is quite dangerous and I need you to remain calm and above all, stay out of the woods during the night time." Dad, I wasn't going to do something that stupid. That's not what's important though. How did Jimmy become a vampire? He was just fine a month ago, I saw him walk around in the daylight."

"There is another monster in town, the one that turned him. He or she is probably the one responsible for the deaths of all those people all this time. Whoever is out there, does not care about their victims and you have to be the council's eyes and ears amongst the community of teenagers. Convince them to stay out of the woods and report any weird behavior to me or one of the other members as soon as you can." Of course, but what are you going to do about Jimmy?" "He cannot be left to roam around town unchecked. He is a new vampire, and that means he's reckless, thirsty and willing to use his new abilities to bring chaos just for fun. He must be destroyed at all costs."

"Can't he be saved?" "Rayna, you must understand, the boy he once was is no longer in him. He is a killer now, and he must be stopped as soon as possible. For that reason, until we kill him, I must ask you to drink vervain tea every day." "What is that?" "Vervain is an herb that when ingested by humans, it prevents vampires from compelling us to do their bidding and if they try to bite us, it poisons them. I have some with me at all times, you should do the same. If you can, slip some of it in your friends' beverages so they can be protected as well." Sure dad, anything to keep everyone safe." The discussion ended then, and we ate our dinner discussing other things, never bringing up the subject again.

I excused myself after dinner, saying I was tired and wanted to rest. My father had no objections, and I made my way to my room after saying goodnight. After I closed my bedroom door, I leant against it, sighing. What a day this had turned out to be. I felt absolutely exhausted, and not just from the spell I had performed. I went over the day's events as I undressed and got ready for bed. First, babysitting Damon for at least ten hours, then running to Vicki's to save her from Jimmy, then chasing Jimmy to the woods where I was shot by that guy after beheading Jimmy, who I still had no idea of his identity, then waking up lying on one of the couches of the Salvatore Boarding House with Stefan poking at my wound with a pair of tweezers while Elena and Damon watched, then healing myself which took half of my energy, then the trip to Vicki's house and the police station to file the report for Jimmy, and last the weird conversation with my dad. I wondered if there would be another day just as eventful. I hoped not.

I continued with my nighttime routines, aware that a shadow lurked outside my window, watching my every move with piercing blue eyes.

Damon POV

I watched as Rayna went on with her undressing, and I had to admit that the show was quite interesting. I had gotten a brief preview when she changed her blouse in front of me, but now I was getting the full view, and it was very intriguing. She walked around her room in nothing but her black underwear. She lit up a few candles, put on relaxing music and let her hair free. The dark waves reached all the way to her waist, swaying softly with her every move. The song sounded like Arabic, but I couldn't care less. Her barely dressed body had my complete attention. She wasn't being sexy or trying to seduce anyone, but her body was calling to me like a moth to a flame. In my time on this earth, I had seen many women trying to seduce men, and this was fighting with the top most seducing, and she wasn't even trying.

I remembered the dances we shared earlier today and my body tensed for no reason. What was happening to me? I behaved like a horny teenager stalking a girl that was way off his league. I had the ability to bed any woman I wanted in this town, and yet she resisted my charm with impressive persistence. The ghost of her body pressed against mine tormented my mind as she swayed her hips lazily, her eyes closed, her face the picture of serenity. She went to a drawer on the other side of the room, pulled it open and took a pair of shorts and a loose sleeveless top.

My breath hitched as she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, letting it fall on the floor. I cursed my luck that she didn't turn around so I could see all of her. She put on the top and slipped her lithe legs in the painfully short and tight shorts, then turned around and looked around the room. For a moment I thought she had somehow felt me, but she showed no such signs. Instead, she walked to a corner of her room and opened a really old chest, half-concealed by pillows and beautiful rugs. She pulled out what looked like a grimoire and a small box. She placed the huge book on the center of the thick, dark red carpet next to her bed and lay face down, opening the book on an empty page. She opened the box and pulled out a bottle of black ink and a quill. It seemed almost corny of her to be writing with a quill in this day and age, and yet she seemed to have no problem in handling it. Her hand moved slowly on the page, writing in a very curvy and delicate handwriting, probably describing the day's events.

What was it with diaries around here, everyone seemed to have one. Stefan, Elena, Rayna. I just couldn't see the beauty of keeping track of my life in a book that someone else might steal and read. I preferred to keep my secrets to myself. She was halfway through the page when her cellphone started ringing on her nightstand. She sighed as she put the quill down and got up to answer. Her face looked confused as she checked the caller ID. Nevertheless, she answered. "El, what's up?" she asked as she sat on her bed. 'Can you talk?' came the reluctant question from Elena on the other end of the line. "Sure, what's wrong?" Rayna asked as she lay on her queen size bed, staring at the ceiling. The bed looked quite sturdy, made of rosewood. Red seemed a dominant color in her room. Even her curtains were made of thick royal red velvet. It made it look so warm and woman-like, but that bed looked Victorian, and it was probably a priceless antique. I wondered if it was the same bed Leon and Victoria had in my human days.

The conversation between the two girls drew my attention once again. 'Stefan and I broke up,' Elena said, sobbing. "Is it because of the whole vampire thing?" Rayna asked her friend. 'Yeah. It's just too much to take in such a short period of time. Stefan and Damon are vampires, you are a witch, it seems that everyone around me have been turning out to be something supernatural. I'm starting to think I'll turn out to be a fairy or something.' "You'd look really cute with those wings," Rayna chuckled, making the other girl chuckle as well, lightening the mood a little. 'Stop kidding Rayna, I'm serious. Also, I'm expecting an explanation from you. Why didn't you tell me that you are a witch? We are supposed to be best friends after all.'

"El, this is a really long talk, one that I'd prefer to have when I have enough energy. Do you want me to come by your house tomorrow and explain the whole situation? I'm willing to answer any questions you have." 'Sure. I'm sorry, you must be really exhausted with all that happened today and the spell to heal yourself. I'm so stupid.' "You are just curious Elena, that's not a crime. There's nothing to be worried about though. I'll explain to you tomorrow and everything is going to be just fine. Just because I'm a witch doesn't make me a different person. I'm still the weird girl you know from our childhood." 'That you are. I should let you sleep, we'll talk tomorrow. You promise to come?' "I pinky swear. Get some sleep El, you need it as much as I do. I'll come by your house tomorrow with cupcakes, we'll sit down and talk as much as you want." Okay. Goodnight Rayna.' "Goodnight El," Rayna said as she hung up.

She sighed, staring at the floor for a minute before getting up and collecting the grimoire and the quill from the floor before putting them back in the old chest. She turned the stereo off and started to put out the candles, preparing for bed. Just before she was about to put out the last candle, she turned around and looked at me directly. "You know, it's rude to sit outside a girl's room and watch her as she prepares for bed. It's creepy, even for a vampire."

I gasped and disappeared, but I heard her chuckle at my reaction. How on earth did she feel me staring at her? I felt so angry with myself as I sped towards my house. I had only come to her house to see if she was okay, and even that was unsettling. Why should I care if she lived or died? I shook my head, feeling even angrier that I had let myself get caught in a vulnerable state. Vampires aren't supposed to be weak, we are strong predators. Even with those thoughts tormenting my mind, the feeling of her body pressed against mine still haunted me, and I doubted it would perish anytime soon.

* * *

I just couldn't resist putting a bit of naughtiness in this one. I think Damon's dance got to me. So, thoughts?

Please drop a review!


	9. Halloween festival

_**Halloween was quite a blast, so it is only appropriate to post this chapter now.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs.**_

_**PS: Rayna's Halloween costume is on my profile, minus the fangs of course.**_

* * *

Rayna POV

One month has passed since that night of so many events and things seemed to be calming down to a normal routine. Elena was still depressed about the whole breakup with Stefan and refuses to talk about it to anyone, even Bonnie and me, her closest friends. At least she had accepted my nature quite well. That discussion the morning after the night of the attack was awkward, but it got better as the day progressed.

"So, you've been a witch ever since you were born?"

"Pretty much yes. I was born with the gift, but my powers didn't show until I was 13. It was quite a shock for me, but I had my grandma to guide me through the first few months of adjustment."

"She was a witch too?"

"The gift of power passes down to the female descendants of our family ever since we can remember. Nobody knows who was the first witch of the bloodline, but the names go back at least five hundred years. Every witch had a really bad consequence to deal with though, the fact that the men of their lives never understood the gift of magic, so every relationship they had ended up in separation or death. My grandma was the only exception, since she never told her husband about her powers. She figured out it was the only way to keep him close to her and not have the fate of her ancestors."

"So what can you do?"

"I can sense other supernatural beings, like vampires and other witches, I cannot be compelled by vampires even if I don't ingest or wear vervain, I can manipulate the elements, water, fire, earth, air, I can feel places where powerful spells have been performed, that's pretty much it. I'm still exploring my powers, so it's not possible to tell the full extent of them."

"So, you sensed Stefan when he first arrived in Mystic Falls?"

"Yeah. I knew from the look in his eyes that he wasn't going to hurt you or anyone else, but Damon was another issue. Stefan was quite surprised to find out about me, but we got over that and got to talking, sharing life stories and all."

"He told you his story?"

"Pretty much the basics of what happened and how he and Damon ended up turning into vampires."

"Yeah, he told me how that happened as well." She frowned, and I hurried to change the subject. I did warn her to stay away from Damon, and she assured me she wouldn't even talk to him even if he tried to get her attention.

From that day on, Stefan and the whole vampire thing became sort of a taboo subject between us. We focused on more human and trivial things, like our schoolwork, the relationships that our friends were forming and how we could help them in any way. On that front, Andy and Vicki were officially together, much to Tyler's irritation. It was quite a sight to witness his face when he saw me, Vicki, Andy and Ethan walk in the Grill to get something to eat and Andy was holding Vicki's hand, kissing it every now and then. Tyler was literally fuming the entire time, with Matt almost bursting into a fit of giggles whenever he looked at him. It was very amusing.

The next day, Matt had told me that Tyler had asked him what was going on between the happy couple, and that he had simply replied that his sister had finally found someone that respected her as she deserved. I had told Jeremy and Vicki when we sat down to lunch and we all laughed our asses off.

Whenever I wasn't studying or hanging out with my friends, I spent my time in Sheila Bennett's house, practicing spells and discussing whether Bonnie should find out about me. I was still a bit wary about that, since Bonnie didn't really believe in magic just yet.

October went by in a flash, with every day being almost identical to the last. Caroline sulked almost daily about how Damon abandoned her like that. Tyler glared at me and Jeremy every time we crossed paths, considering us the reason he lost his plaything, aka Vicki. On a brighter note, her and Andy had decided to do something about their mutual dancing fantasy.

They wanted to apply to a private dancing school two towns away, but they had to prepare a showcase, and who else to turn to but me and Ethan. We helped them pick songs, dancing routines and correcting their stances when it was needed. That whole ordeal resulted in me and Ethan spending quite a lot of time together, which brought us closer. Amber Fell was furious to see us talking and sitting together almost every day at lunch. I was starting to feel really attracted to Ethan. He could actually be the one that deserved to let my walls down for.

On a more somber note, the Founder's council was still trying to locate both Jimmy and whoever had created him. They had all been informed that I was now a part of the secret and some of them were a bit skeptic about it, but since Logan Fell had decided to bail out of town all of a sudden, they could use all the help they could get, and my position between the youths of Mystic Falls was crucial to them. At first, I had thought that it was indeed Damon the one that had turned Jimmy, but his behavior ever since was pointing to the other direction. He was worried the council would discover his secret as well, so he tried along with Stefan to find the vampire that had turned the poor boy. There were still attacks, but not as many as there were before, and everyone was still on edge.

Despite the attacks, nothing seemed to overshadow today. It was October 31st, a day also known as Halloween. Caroline, still in her trance of Damon's rejection had decided to organize a carnival where all of us would participate in some way. I was supposed to be the girl that refilled all the stalls with the treats that we were supposed to give any newcomers for a price. I had spent the better part of yesterday trying to find a costume, but it was not that easy.

Caroline had said it had to be something that wouldn't scare the kids, but also look classy and nice. I went through every website I could find, but nothing came to mind. Then, on a last minute inspiration, I decided to go through the contents of the attic. Who knew, maybe I could find something. If not, I would go as a cheerleader, and I wanted to avoid that at all costs, so I hoped that there would be something worthwhile in the dusty chests.

Indeed, hidden in an old chest at the very back of the attic was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. There were many of them in there, but the one I liked was at the very bottom of the chest. It was Victorian, black and red, with lace across the bodice and a black skirt made of satin that looked so beautiful. It must have belonged to Victoria, and I hoped we were the same size. I loved it from the moment I saw it. I even found a pair of black boots that matched the dress. I was ecstatic.

I was right; it fit perfectly. I felt so beautiful in it, like it was meant for me. I called Caroline and told her that I had found the perfect dress for my assignment, and she squealed in delight. I curled my hair like they did back in those days, did my make-up a bit more pronounced since it was Halloween, with dark red eyeshadow mixed with dark silver, lined my eyes with liquid eyeliner for a darker look and finished it with a dark red lipstick. I looked at my mirror and saw that the result was impressive. I looked like a vampire queen.

When I realized what I had just thought, I freaked out. I really looked like a vampire, like the ones from the old movies. I almost took my makeup off, but then I decided it didn't matter. I would call myself the lady of the treats, and that was it. I didn't have the teeth, so I was not a vampire. No way.

I made my way downstairs so my dad could see me. I found him in his study, bent over his laptop like always. That's what writers do, they write all the time, no matter the day or occasion. "Good evening kind sir," I bowed slightly, getting his attention.

He raised his head to look at me and his eyes widened like two black saucers. "Oh my God!" he breathed, getting up from his chair and walking slowly towards me. "Where did you find this costume Rayna, it looks so real!"

"That's because it is. I found it in one of the chests in the attic. Don't worry, I promise to look after it."

"So this means it belonged to Victoria, our ancestor. You are so much alike in this light, I thought for a moment I was seeing a ghost."

I chuckled, lowering my head. "Do I really look that much like her?"

"Well, your colors are darker, but yes, you look very much alike. Just be careful tonight, at the carnival I mean. The vampire still lurks around and might try to take advantage of the commotion and slip in undetected in order to find his next victim."

"Don't worry dad, I drank vervain earlier today and I have some with me. If I see anyone acting suspicious, I will vervain them and call the sheriff right away."

"That's my girl. Go and have fun darling," he kissed my forehead and I left, feeling excited.

The school grounds were packed with people dressed in the most outrageous costumes. There were fairies, vampires, tacky ones though, nothing like the real stuff, zombies, witches, superheroes, all sorts of creatures and characters. I parked my car a bit away from the main lot to avoid any pranksters that would try to do a number on my beauty and made my way to the crowd. I found Caroline ordering people around, a real captain at the helm of a ship, commandeering the workers perfectly.

"I'm here Caroline, what can I do?" She turned around, and her eyes widened just like my dad's. "Rayna, you look stunning! Where did you find such a beautiful costume?"

"I made it, from a few things I found in my attic. I'm guessing you like it."

"I love it! It looks just like I wanted it. Rayna, you are an angel."

"No. I'm the Lady of the Treats. You look really beautiful you know, the mistress of the carnival. Or is it the witch of the carnival?" She blushed at my comment. We were really starting to get along, the two of us. "Now, I'd better get to work, I see a few stalls are starting to go low on treats."

"That's the spirit!" Caroline cheered as she returned to the others and I grabbed a basket filled with treats and made my way to the closest stall.

I refilled the third stall for the night when I turned around and came face to face with Don Corleone himself. "Now why would a fine lady like yourself would wander alone around here during the night? This is a dangerous neighborhood you know," Ethan said in a fake Italian accent.

"Indeed sir, but I must work to support my family. Would you be so kind as to protect me from the bad characters that lurk around here?" I asked him, playing along with the role. "Alright. It would be such a shame for a fine lady like yourself to be hurt by shady characters."

"Oh, thank you sir. Here," I smiled as I kissed him on the cheek, "You have my gratitude and my affection."

"What more can someone ask in life?" he smiled at me. "You do look very dangerous in that black suit and with that black shirt and a white tie. A waistcoat as well, all of them striped like that and that hat hiding your beautiful hair." He took the hat off, revealing his hair, plenty of gel on them and slicked back like the gangsters of old.

"You really nailed it you know, every detail is perfect."

"Thank you. And you do look stunning tonight. Where did you find such a costume?"

"I combined my imagination and an old dress that belonged to one of my ancestors. I have to be careful not to stain it, but I feel so nice in it."

"So that's why it looks so authentic, because it is. And what do you call yourself?"

"Lady of the Treats. Caroline has put me in charge of refilling the stalls with the treats that we offer people."

"So I guess I won't be seeing much of you tonight," he frowned.

"You will, I just have to refill the stalls once more and you can have me all to yourself."

"I think I might just take you up on that. Go, finish your chores and afterwards we can take a walk around, have fun like everyone else. I'll be waiting by the haunted house." "Try and find our buddies, I don't want you to be all alone."

"I doubt I'll be alone, there are many of our classmates to chat with, but Andy and Vicki are somewhere in the haunted house. They came as angel and devil. You should see their costumes, they are really good."

"Who's who?"

"Andy's the devil, Vicki's the angel. I have to admit, she chose a rather skimpy costume, since that skirt of hers can hardly be considered modest. Tyler's eyes bugged out of their sockets at the sight."

"Did you take pictures?" I asked eagerly.

"And video. I'll show it to you later tonight," he smiled.

"Now that I want to see. I'll see you at the haunted house in about half an hour, alright?"

"I will be waiting for you my fair lady," he bowed as he kissed my hand, making me giggle.

I turned to go get my basket and spotted Damon, talking to Bonnie a few stalls away. By the looks of it, she was really uncomfortable with the conversation. I grabbed the basket and made my way towards them to relieve her of Damon's annoying presence. As I neared them, I tried to hide my smile at Bonnie's costume. I had no doubt Caroline had chosen it, since Bonnie would never come to this things as a witch, and a blonde one at that.

"Hey Bon, need a refill?" I interrupted their conversation, making both of them to turn and look at me. Bonnie looked relieved to see me while Damon's eyes had the same look as Caroline and my father when he scanned me up and down. "Sure, thanks Rayna. You look stunning, that's a very nice costume," Bonnie commented as I refilled her cauldron with caramels and chocolates.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Damon asked, scanning me once again. "The Lady of the Treats," I looked at him straight in the eye, feeling a bit brave tonight.

"Very fitting. Where did you fid that dress?"

"It belonged to my ancestor, I found it in a chest in my attic. At first I thought about coming as a fairy, but this looked a lot better. I feel much better in this dress."

"Be careful not to stain it," Damon smirked.

"Thank you Damon, I appreciate the concern. How come you decided to come to the carnival?"

"It is a town event, I thought I should stop by, and I had to talk to Bonnie about something that belongs to me that she has, but she won't give it back."

I turned to look at Bonnie, confused. "Caroline gave me this crystal, as part of my costume. Apparently it was something Damon had given her when they were together and since she hates his guts, she gave it to me. Like I told you before, I'll give it to her and she can decide whether to give it back to you," Bonnie almost hissed at him. I looked at the crystal that hung from Bonnie's neck and felt magic coming from it, powerful magic. This was no ordinary crystal, why would Damon want it so badly?

"Or," Damon shrugged, "I could just take it right now," he stated as he tried to yank the crystal from Bonnie's neck. He was unsuccessful though. As soon as he touched it, the talisman burned his hand, making him draw his hand back, looking surprised at Bonnie. She freaked out and fled running, leaving us behind, bewildered.

"It is my crystal Rayna, I want it back. You had no right to do that," Damon growled as he watched his hand heal itself.

"I assure you Damon, I did absolutely nothing. There is magic in that crystal, powerful magic. Somehow, it didn't want to come to you."

"I had it before Caroline took it, and it didn't burn me then," he interjected. "Then something else is going on, and I'm going to find out exactly what," I stated as I went the way Bonnie did, hoping to find her and try and calm her down. I looked all over the carnival, but she was nowhere to be seen. I spotted Ethan sitting by the haunted house, Matt and someone that looked like a zombified Jeremy in front of him, talking. I walked to them, hoping they had seen Bonnie and where she had gone.

"Now what business is a gangster, a bloody doctor and a zombie have together?" I asked, getting their attention.

"I killed a man, the doctor here tried to save him but something went wrong and the dead body is now a zombie. We are trying to figure out the situation," Ethan answered, making me and the other two boys snort.

"Poor Jeremy, getting killed and then brought back to feast on live flesh. I think I saw some spare legs over by the hamburger stall if you're hungry," I teased him, making him roll his eyes.

"Elena decided to come by at the last minute, and she dragged me along. I had no other choice but to come like this. You one the other hand, look great. Are you the vampire queen of the carnival?"

"No, I'm the lady of the treats. And you doctor, what was the cause of death?" "Massive internal bleeding due to so many bullet holes. Your gangster over here really nailed him down," Matt replied.

"That's my man, killing all those that oppose him. Other than your crazy antics, have you guys seen Bonnie? I saw her walking away a bit unsettled and I'm worried about her."

"What happened?" Matt asked, concerned.

"That's the thing, I have no idea. Have you seen her?"

"I saw her getting in her car and driving away not two minutes ago. She did look upset, but I didn't think anything of it," Jeremy replied. "Thanks Jer, I'll give her a call, see what's going on."

"So, my fair lady, are you done with your chores?" Ethan asked. "Just two more stalls and I'm all yours actually. Give me a sec to call Bon and I'll run to finish my job so we can go have some fun before this carnival ends."

"Hurry back to me my lady, and do bring a few treats, I'm a bit hungry," Ethan called as I walked away.

I turned around to smile at him and got my cellphone out of the pouch that hung from my wrist. I had my makeup, some vervain and my cellphone in there, just in case I would need any of them. I tried to call Bonnie's cell, but she didn't respond. I changed course of action and called her grandma instead. Maybe she had gone to her for advice. Sheila Bennett answered at the second ring. "Hello?"

"It's Rayna. Is Bonnie there?"

"No sweetie, she's supposed to be at the carnival. Something wrong?"

"I'm not really sure. But apparently she had a little magical incident with a piece of her witch costume, when Damon Salvatore tried to yank it off her neck. She panicked and left the carnival, she might be headed to you."

"I think I hear her car outside, I have to go."

"Let me know what happens," I finished as she hung up. I sighed, feeling a bit confused. What was it about that crystal that Damon wanted it so? Couldn't I have one night without anything supernatural happening in my life? I turned around to go back to my friends and came face to face with a young man dressed in a weird black cape that concealed his entire body and a top hat. His face could be considered handsome, but not really my type. He had a certain quality that disturbed me for some reason.

"And who are you supposed to be?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Jack the Ripper. Thankfully enough, I feel generous enough to not make you one of my victims tonight, if you let me dance with you," he purred in a seductive voice. I almost laughed at his corny attitude.

"Sadly, I'll have to decline. I have a mafia boss that is waiting for me, and he is quite possessive when it comes to our relationship. Some other time perhaps," I waved him off as I tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm before I could get away.

"Please dance with me," he asked again, his pupils dilating. "Rayna!" a voice sounded from somewhere to my left, and as I turned to look at the person that had called my name the guy disappeared in thin air, leaving me alone and utterly dumbfounded.

Vicki approached me in her angel costume, Andy close behind her. "There you are, we have been looking all night for you! You look so beautiful in that dress," she said as she hugged me.

I returned the hug, trying to act normal while my mind ran a thousand miles an hour. A vampire had tried to compel me. He was still around, somewhere in the carnival, locating his next victim. "Thanks Vick, you look heavenly beautiful. And I see there is a devil hot on your heels, watching your every step." Andy smiled as he approached us.

"Well, I need to keep an eye on her, someone might try to steal her away," Andy shrugged as he hugged Vicki's waist.

"Who was that guy that was talking to you, I saw him grabbing your arm. Was he bothering you?" Vicki asked as she eyed me carefully.

"No, he just wanted to know where the restrooms are, and he was kinda urgent about it. Apparently he ate way too many treats," I joked, making them laugh, effectively avoiding the awkward conversation.

"He looked a bit creepy as well, pale as a ghost," Andy commented. "Well, he was supposed to be Jack the Ripper, and all Englishmen are pale, he just wanted to emphasize that. Come on, I think my gangster will kill me if I don't get some treats to him, he's been hungry all night," I urged them to the carnival, looking around for the vampire. I couldn't find him anywhere, so I simply followed my friends to where Ethan was.

I picked up a basket of candy and walked to where my friends were sitting, trying to be cheerful. "Here, who's hungry?" I announced, offering the basket to them. They all dug in, feasting on the delicious chocolate and caramels. We talked about various things, like the routine Andy and Vicki were preparing for the upcoming audition in the dancing school, the latest gossip that roamed all around the school when a disturbed Caroline approached us.

"Rayna, the stalls are nearly empty, I thought you were supposed to fill them up," she half-glared at me, her arms folding over her chest.

"I'm sorry Caroline, I'll get back to my job right away. I'll see you in a few minutes guys," I apologized to them as I made my way to the stalls.

As I filled my last stall, I spotted the vampire walking behind a girl that was dressed as Hannah Montana. She was barely above 16. I took out my cellphone and texted Elena to notify Stefan and Damon that I had located the vampire responsible for the attacks. I put my cellphone on silent mode and followed the vampire. He must have sensed me following him, since he turned around to look at me, the other girl forgotten.

"Well, it seems my Victorian lady has decided to return to me," he smirked as he approached me.

"You did say something about a dance," I smiled at him, hoping this would work and he would think I had been compelled.

"Yes, I did, before we were so rudely interrupted by your friend. Let's go somewhere where we won't be interrupted again, shall we? You do want to go with me, don't you?" he asked as he looked into my eyes again, his pupils dilating.

"I want to go with you," I said in a blank voice and took the hand he offered to me.

Slowly, he led us away from the carnival and to the back entrance of the school, which was empty of people. There wasn't another soul in sight nor was there any noise indicating there were people around, the perfect location for a vampire to lure his prey and feast on them. He backed me up against the wall and came really close, his body imprisoning me against the brick wall and his face far too close to mine.

"No need to get so touchy," I retorted, trying to push him off of me, but he didn't budge. "No need to play the innocent damsel in distress babe, I know how naughty little schoolgirls like you can be. Besides, I want to have some fun," he smirked, his face even closer to mine, his breath hot on my cheek.

"Get away from me," I pushed him hard, succeeding in moving him away from me a few centimeters. He glared at me, angry. His vampire features came out, making his face like the devil's.

"You little bitch." He blurred to me, pinning me hard against the wall. "I intended to have some fun before I killed you, but you just earned yourself a quick death," he hissed as he pulled my hair away and bit on my neck, hard.

I screamed, feeling his teeth tearing at my flesh. Before he could bite harder though, someone hit him on his back, making him pull away to face the new threat. He let my neck go and attacked my savior, throwing whoever that was on the ground. I collapsed, trying to get as much air in my lungs as I could before I passed out and heard a girlish scream from somewhere nearby.

I looked around and froze as I recognized its owner. Elena was lying on the ground not ten feet from me, clad in a bloody nurse costume, the vampire right above her, ready to attack.

"Come to join the bloody party nurse? It would be a shame to let a beauty like you go," he hissed as he went for her. I sent him a nice migraine that sent him groaning on the ground, holding his head. Another blurry figure came and the vampire was thrown away from Elena, on some trash bins.

Stefan stood in front of Elena, looking furious, but without any vampire features. "You son of a bitch," the vampire hissed as he turned to attack Stefan, but I sent him on the floor yet again with another migraine. While the guy was holding his head, Stefan took a wooden board from the nearby dumpster and broke it in half. He blurred to the vampire and staked him right through the heart, killing him. The guy gasped as his skin started turning gray. He fell on the ground, dead, never to bother or kill anyone else again.

Stefan abandoned the dead guy and rushed to Elena's side who was still on the ground, staring at the body of the vampire that almost killed her. "Are you okay?" he asked her, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, he didn't bite me." She turned to look at me and gasped, trying to get up as fast as possible.

"Rayna, you're hurt," she said, concerned.

"I'll be fine El, nothing I cannot heal," I waved her off as I tried to get up. I felt extremely dizzy as I held myself on the wall so I wouldn't fall again. I looked at Elena; she looked terrified as she eyed the dead body again and again. She started crying, the shock from the attack finally kicking in.

"Elena, it's alright, you're safe now," Stefan tried to comfort her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. She cried at his shoulder, holding him close to her.

I went to the guy, making sure he was dead and pulled the stake from his heart. Poor bastard. I had seen him around one or two times. Why did he have to die like this? "Well, it seems you guys had a fun evening," Damon drawled as rounded the corner, his hands in his pockets, his signature smirk ever-present on his perfect face. I felt so angry with him. This was all because of him.

"Did he have you for a snack?" he asked me as his smirk widened. "He tried, but look where that got him. You should keep that in mind for future reference," I growled as I held my neck to stop the bleeding. At least I had placed a handkerchief over it so the blood wouldn't stain my dress. It would be a shame to destroy it for such a stupid reason.

"A bit touchy, aren't we?" Damon teased, making my anger boil in me. "This is all your fault Damon. You are the resident troublemaker. Wherever you go, death follows you. Why don't you leave so we can have a normal life?" I yelled at him, feeling my eyes water in anger. I had never felt so angry in my life.

A flash of hurt passed from his face before he returned to his neutral mask. "You should go take care of your wounds Rayna," he said quietly, looking away from me to the happy couple that observed our verbal exchange. "Like you care," I waved him off as I went to Elena.

"El, are you alright?" I asked my best friend as I kneeled beside her. She snapped out of her trance and looked at me with those big brown eyes of hers. "I should be the one asking you that," she scolded me slightly. "I'll be fine, it's not that serious. Can you stand?" I asked as I offered my hand.

She took it and Stefan took the other, and we lifted her up. She set her costume straight before coming to check on my wound. "Maybe you are taking your costume a bit too serious. I'm fine; I'll just heal myself like I did last time. There's nothing to worry about," I tried to assure her, but she didn't budge.

"Rayna, you told me that using that kind of magic takes a lot of your energy, so at least let me drive you to your place."

"I'll be fine, I'm saying it for the last time. Now, let's get rid of this body before someone comes here and sees it."

"Damon and I can take care of that, you guys go back to the carnival," Stefan piped in. "Poor guy," Elena commented as he looked at the body. "Come on El, we gotta go back to the carnival before they start searching for us."

"What about your wound?" she asked me.

"Oh, right." I placed my hand over my wound and let my magic heal my body. After the spell was done, I opened my eyes and caught Damon looking at me intently.

"What are you staring at Damon? It's nothing you haven't seen before," I sneered. Normally I don't speak like that to anyone, but he had gotten on my nerves for some reason. He looked at me with a bit of surprise in his eyes but looked away after a moment. "I'll see you later Stefan. Come on El, time to go," I pulled her towards the school, leaving the Salvatore brothers to clean up the mess the body had caused.

After we had put quite some distance between the murder scene and our current location, Elena turned to look at me. "Are you really okay?"

"Yeah El, nothing to worry about. Now, I think I'd better go back to the stalls before Caroline starts having a fit. Be careful, will you?" She nodded and I made my way towards the stalls.

"Hey. Where have you been?" Ethan said as he approached me. "I had a bit of an emergency. Some kids spilled fake blood on my dress and I had to clean it up. Can you do me a favor and check if there's any more on it?"

"Sure," he nodded as he scanned my body from all angles. "All sparkly clean. Where did those kids go, I should report them to the teachers."

"No need, I freaked them out with a prank, that's why I was so late. They ran away screaming like five-year olds."

"What did you do?"

"That's my secret. Come on, where are the others?"

"They went somewhere private," Ethan winked at me, and I chuckled. He pulled me by my waist to the crowd, helping me get my mind off of the night's events.

After we said our goodnights, I headed to my car to go home when my phone vibrated. I groaned as I took it out of my pouch and checked the ID. I forgot my tiredness and answered. "What's going on Mrs. Bennett?"

"Can you come here, it's kinda important. I think it's time Bonnie finds out about you."

"Sure, I'm on my way," I replied as I hung up and got in my car.

I arrived at the witch's house in record time. I walked up to the entrance, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Grams answered and seemed a bit taken aback by my costume. "I come straight from the carnival, I hope that's okay," I apologized.

"It's fine. Come on in," she gestured and I entered the lovely house. I made my way to the living room where Bonnie was, sitting on the couch, a cup of tea in her hands. She was surprised to see me there.

"Rayna? What are you doing here?"

"She is the witch I told you about Bonnie," Grams replied as she came up behind me. Bonnie looked from her to me, her eyes wide. "It's true Bonnie. I'm like you. I'm a witch."

* * *

And there you have it. I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. I know I did!


	10. Stefan's birthday

**_A bright and happy birthday to our dear Stefan Salvatore!_**

**_As a gift, here is how he spent his birthday in my alternate universe. Finally, I was able to write about one of my favorite characters in the show (LEXI!)_**

**_I was so bummed when Damon killed her, so I altered that as well, to keep the two brothers on better terms, sort of._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and Lexi's backstory. The writers of the show offered nothing on that, so I got a bit creative._**

**_PS: Lexi's pendant is on my profile pics._**

* * *

November 5th

Rayna POV

It's been five days since the Halloween night and things seemed to be settling down once again. I wasn't sure if I liked that, but I was determined to live as much as normal as I could. Bonnie and I have been spending a lot of time together, mostly talking about our magical heritages and the differences we had in our bloodlines.

We also found out what that crystal Caroline had given her was. According to Bonnie's Grams, it was a talisman that belonged to an ancestor of them, Emily Bennett, the witch that lived here in the 1860's. It emitted magic, and I didn't even try to touch it. I had the feeling I would get hurt if I tried.

Bonnie was quite mad at first that I had hidden such an important similarity we had, but she relaxed once I explained to her that she wouldn't had believed me since she wasn't exactly believing in her own powers back then. Her powers were developing a bit faster than normal, but she was doing great. We studied spells, asked her grandmother for tips and advice, explored the very depths of the magical arts.

Today, I woke up with such a nice feeling. I felt like I was going to have a great day. Bonnie had told me yesterday that she was moving back to her own house today, after spending the last week at her grandma's. Her dad disapproved of her being close to her grandma due to her reputation. Poor man, if only he knew the truth about his daughter. Come to think of it, what would my dad think of me if he discovered my true nature?

I tried not to think about it as I got ready for school. I focused on the good things I had for today, like my first official date with Ethan. He had finally gotten the courage to ask me out officially, and I had accepted gladly. Vicki had all but squealed when I had told her and we had spent a good three hours discussing the possible outcome of this date. It was so refreshing to see Vicki reacting like any sane normal teenage girl should react. I had thought about the decision I had made for almost five hours yesterday evening, and I had come to the conclusion that Ethan definitely deserved a chance. He seemed like a great guy, and I needed to get out of my shell, erase my past heartbreaks and move on to a new page of my life.

I had a smile plastered on my face when I went down the stairs to have some breakfast before school. "Someone is quite chipper today," my dad commented when he noticed my smile.

"I have a date with Ethan tonight," I replied, and he nodded, chuckling.

"Well, that explains it. You chose a fine man Rayna; he is a great guy. So, that means you won't have dinner here?"

"No, unfortunately. I'm sorry I'm abandoning you dad, I promise to make it up to you."

"Nothing to worry about sweetie. I have an appointment with a few council members to discuss the situation. The woods have been really quiet, but we are still on alert. The vampires might be trying to get us to relax before they resume their massacre."

I frowned, my good mood going straight to hell. "Not to worry honey, we will keep this town safe," he patted me on the back as I got up to leave for school.

When I arrived, Bonnie was there, waiting for me, but Elena and Caroline were nowhere to be seen. And for Caroline she always had a busy day, so this was not something to worry about, but Elena had no excuse.

"Hey Bon, seen Elena?"

"No, Jeremy said that she felt a bit ill today, so she's staying at home. I'm going to visit her after school though."

"Oh good, I'll come and give her some herbal tea I have, she'll feel better right away."

"Actually, I plan on telling her about my special abilities today, and I want to do this alone if you don't mind. She already knows about your powers, now I need to tell her about me. It's been eating me alive for days now."

"It's okay Bon, I have to prepare for my date anyway."

She smiled at that. "You know, you couldn't have picked a better guy. Ethan seems crazy about you. Just be careful of Amber Fell. She's bound to have a conniption fit when she finds out."

"I'm prepared for that. Nothing will ruin my relationship with Ethan, especially that blond bitch. Come on, let's get to class. Don't forget to tell me tomorrow about Elena's reaction to the news though, I'll be waiting."

During second period, I caught Stefan looking at me with a goofy expression on his face. He kept sending me the same look and by the end of the class, he had me worried. When the bell rang, he came to my desk.

"I have someone I want you to meet," he said cheerfully.

"And good morning to you too Stefan. What's up, you seemed ready to jump from your seat from the excitement."

"Lexi. She came to visit me and I want you to meet her," he said, excited.

"Really? How come she decided to visit you all of a sudden?" I asked. "That's her style, she comes and she goes. So, are you going to come to the house?"

"Sure. I'll come by in a couple of hours to drop by the books I borrowed, so I can have some time to get ready for my date later on today."

"Oh, you are going out with Ethan?"

"Yeah, I finally decided to go through with it."

"Good for you. By the way, have you seen Elena?"

"No, she stayed at home today; she's down with the flu."

"Oh," he frowned, his face darkening. I didn't say anything, the subject too sensitive to be touched. "I'll see you later on today Stef," I smiled at him as I made my way to the next class.

After classes were over, I was at the school parking lot, about to go into my car when I felt someone behind me. I spun around to face the creep and came face to face with a smiling Ethan.

"Jeez Ethan, you scared me," I gasped. "Sorry about that," he smiled teasingly.

"How about I take you out tonight to redeem myself?"

"Oh, I can't. I have this hot date with this gorgeous guy tonight. Some other time maybe," I shrugged, playing along with his game. He frowned like a five-year old, lowering his head in defeat. "You're ditching me for some hot guy?"

"If he scares me the way you did, I'll call you to come and get me," I lifted his face to see him. He smiled brightly, giving me a light kiss on the cheek, whispering "I can't wait for tonight," before he left, making me feel all gooey and slightly nervous inside.

"That sounded like you've got a date tonight witchy," a drawling voice said from behind me, destroying my good mood.

"What's it to you Damon?" I asked him, feeling so disturbed with him. He was dressed in all black as usual. This whole rockstar bad boy was starting to look so worn. "I'm just making logical assumptions from what I heard," he shrugged.

"And why are you here? This is a school parking lot, and you are neither a teacher nor a student."

"It's not illegal to be here," he shrugged again as he kept staring at me.

I rolled my eyes at his stupidity and got in my car, ignoring his piercing gaze. I had to go home and get the books to Stefan's place, not to mention meeting with the famous Lexi. The last time since Stefan told me his story, we had talked about various parts of his life. The best of it was how Lexi got him to feel again. For that reason alone the girl deserved my respect.

It was late afternoon when I drove into the driveway of the Boarding House. I had to admit, I was feeling beyond nervous about meeting Lexi. From what Stefan said she was a great girl, but I had no idea about her attitude towards witches. Most vampires hated us because we considered them to be abnormal, but that was not my thought, about Stefan at least. He was a great guy, unlike his brother.

I grabbed the books from the passenger's seat and made my way to the front door. I took a deep breath and knocked on the huge oak door. A few moments later, the door opened but it was not Stefan the one that opened it.

"So, you seem to be unable to tear your eyes from my sexy body," Damon teased as he smirked.

"Get your mind out of the gutter Damon, I'm here to see Stefan and return the books I borrowed last week, not gaze at you and your ever-growing ego," I replied as I passed by him and entered the house.

"What is it with you two and books? Half the time you are stuck in musty smelling books that tell tales from God knows how long. What you see in that is beyond me."

"Apart from tales, books contain knowledge, and knowledge is power Damon, you should look into it some time," I retorted, making him roll his eyes as he made his way to the library. I followed him, trying really hard not to stare at his nicely curved ass. So sue me! He had a really nice ass for a vampire.

"Stefan, your book buddy is here," Damon announced as he made his way to the bar.

"What a lovely way to announce my presence Damon, you are so kind," I sighed as I placed the books on a table by the window. I turned around to scan the rest of the room and found Stefan sitting on the sofa, across from a stunning blonde girl in a pair of leather pants and a black T-shirt. Her dark eyes studied me with interest.

"Rayna, just in time. I want you to meet my other close friend, Alexia Branson, also known as Lexi. Lexi, this is Rayna Silverstone, my first good friend here in Mystic Falls," Stefan introduced us.

Lexi looked at me with those dark eyes of hers for another moment before she spoke. "Hello," she smiled at me, and I immediately felt a lot more comfortable. For some reason, she emitted the same feeling of trust that Stefan had.

"Hello Lexi, it's nice to finally meet you. Stefan has told me a lot about you," I smiled back at her. "I hope they were good things," Lexi teased as she spared a glance at him. "They were, I assure you," I nodded as I sat on the armchair across from her.

"Oh, isn't this nice little brother, your two best friends are bonding. You know, if you play this right, you can have one hell of a threesome," Damon cut in, ruining the good atmosphere.

"Shut up Damon," Lexi and I said at the same time. We looked at each other, then burst into a fit of giggles. Damon scowled at us, while Stefan tried really hard to keep a straight face, but the sparkle in his eyes showed how much he enjoyed the scene.

"Now this is really disturbing," Damon commented, which only made us laugh harder. "I think you and I are going to be great friends," Lexi said breathlessly, still trying to recover from the laughing fit.

"I'd like that. Wanna go out, talk and see the city?" I offered. "I'd love to, but we'll have to wait until sundown. Unlike these two, I don't have a daylight ring. But we still have plenty of time to talk and chat, since tonight is a very special night."

"What is so special about tonight?" I asked, confused. Lexi looked at me, confused as well, then turned to Stefan.

"You didn't tell her?" she asked him.

"I didn't have the chance. Today's my birthday, and Lexi wants to go out and celebrate the event, something I'm not all onboard for," Stefan explained.

"And when where you planning to tell me? We are supposed to be friends Stefan," I scolded him. Stefan looked down, his face like that of a boy that was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Like I said, I didn't have the chance. Besides, I don't want to make a big deal out of it," he defended.

"Stefan, you turn 162 years old, I think that is something we should celebrate," Lexi interjected.

"And Lexi is quite right on that front. Now, since you so graciously failed to let me in on the important event of the day, I'll have some sort of compensation." I almost laughed at the look Stefan was giving me. He actually thought I was being serious about this.

"Like what?" "A piece of jewelry with a lapis stone on it," I replied. Stefan looked at me like I had grown two heads, but I didn't budge from his spot.

"I'm waiting," I added, looking seriously at him.

Stefan got up reluctantly and left the room, probably to bring me what I had asked. I had formulated a plan in my head, but I wanted to keep it to myself until the right time.

"So, what are we going to do about Stefan's birthday tonight?" I asked Lexi. "How about a party?" she offered, but I shook my head. "Since you know him as well as I think you do, you know he hates parties. Not to mention it would be a disaster to bring a bunch of stranger teenagers in this house. They are already curious, no need to excite them anymore," I shook my head.

"Then how about the party Caroline is throwing tonight at the Grill?" Damon offered, making me turn to look at him with an incredulous expression.

"I don't want a party," Stefan replied as he returned from wherever he had gone.

"It's not for you, it's a party party. Caroline is always a party girl, why not take advantage of it? No one has to know it's your birthday," Damon shrugged.

I had the strangest feeling that he was trying to do something, I just couldn't tell what he wanted.

"Damon, stay away from Caroline," Stefan pleaded, but it didn't have any effect on his older brother.

"We're friends, it's cool," Damon brushed him off. "It's important for the townspeople to see us interact with them as normal folk. With all those attacks, people can get crazy and think that everyone around them is a vampire, even if they're not."

"Okay, it's gonna sound crazy, but he's right," I agreed, making all three vampires look at me with wide eyes.

"I know; I was shocked too," I nodded. "Right now, the council is still looking for the vampire responsible for the attacks, and they're getting nervous. You need to keep up with the human pretenses, which brings me to my previous thought. Stefan, can you open that curtain, and Lexi, please move to the other couch so the light won't hit you."

Stefan got up reluctantly and pulled the curtain, while Lexi flashed to the other side of the room. I went to Stefan and extended my arm, and he placed a lovely Sterling silver pendant with a round lapis lazuli stone at the center. I took it and placed it on the table by the window, so that the sunlight would hit it. I closed my eyes, focusing on the energy the sun was emitting. The spell was a bit more difficult than the ones I was used to, but I still managed to complete it. I opened my eyes again, smiling in satisfaction with myself. I took the pendant and walked slowly to Lexi, who looked at me with a curious expression.

"This is my welcome gift to you. I hope you like the design, because you will probably wear it for a long time," I smiled at her bewildered expression. Her gaze kept going from me to the pendant, until she reluctantly took it and put it on. It fit her perfectly, and it suited her style just right. "Go on," I urged her, "try it."

She looked towards the window and walked slowly, the rest of us watching her in silence. She stopped at the edges of the shadow and extended her hand reluctantly towards the sunlight, afraid that it would still burn her, but it didn't. She let the sunlight warm her hand and then pulled the curtain completely and let her body bathe in sunlight. It was really a beautiful sight. Her hair shined gold in the light, like a halo.

After a few minutes, she turned around and had a huge smile on her face. "Thank you so much Rayna, I don't know how to repay you," she breathed. "You don't have to repay me Lexi, it's a gift. Besides I told you, you are my friend, and I am willing to do anything to help my friends. And now, for Stefan's punishment."

"I thought that me giving you the pendant was my punishment," Stefan said uneasily.

"That was the first part. The second is that I get to steal Lexi from you for a couple of hours. I'll take her around the town, we can talk about various things, not to mention a little shopping for the party tonight. Are you up for it Lex?"

"Let's go!" she cheered, a huge smile on her pretty face.

Lexi and I drove into town in my car. We parked on an empty spot and continued our walk on foot.

"You know, I don't think I've seen Damon so speechless in all the years I've known him," Lexi smiled as we walked to the square.

"It's not my fault that he doesn't understand the concept of friendship. I know that witches mostly give such magical objects away only when they have been saved by a vampire and feel like they owe them a favor, but I'm not like that. I consider you my friend, and I wanted to give you a gift. Although, if you think about it, it's a gift from both me and Stefan. He brought the pendant."

"It was quite a sight to see Damon gape at us when we walked out of the Boarding House. He looked like an alien had decided to come and visit him. "You are so full of surprises," Lexi chuckled as we walked by a few of my classmates. Amber Fell was among them, and they all looked like they had seen a Hollywood actress.

"You should have been there when he first found out about my powers."

"What happened?"

"Stefan had him confined in the Boarding house without a daylight ring because he was ill-treating a friend of ours, and he asked me to go over and keep an eye on him, just in case. I went in the house, he played all vampy speed on me and tried to compel me to stay with him all day and entertain him, but I sent him flying on the wall behind him. He tried to attack me again and I gave him one of what he calls as a witchy aneurysm. He calmed down after that."

Lexi couldn't stop giggling during the entire story. "God, what would I give to see that in real life."

We passed by the high school football field, where the team was making a few drills for the upcoming game. Stefan had decided to quit due to Coach Tanner's death, and the other boys were not so worried about that. The new coach, Mr. Stevens was an okay guy, according to Matt. Lexi stared at the boys and I followed her gaze.

"See anything you like?" "It depends. Is one of them your boyfriend?"

"No, my guy is more of the artistic type. He prefers dancing rather than football. And let me tell you, he is really good at it."

"In that case, the brunette with the angry expression over there," she pointed to a boy that was painfully familiar.

"That's Tyler Lockwood. A good football player, but with quite a short temper fuse. He attacked Stefan when the Coach put him on the team."

"What happened?" Lexi asked, worried.

"Another boy got into a fight with Tyler over a girl matter and accidentally sliced Stefan's hand with a broken bottle. It was the night Damon killed our previous coach and Elena started getting suspicious about Stefan's nature. Thankfully enough, the suspicions are now off of them."

"What about the vampire that still lurks around, what are you going to do about it?"

"Me, nothing. We have a whole town council for that."

"A what?" Lexi turned to me, her eyes widen in surprise.

"Ever since the attacks on 1864, the town has put together a secret council that takes care of any vampire attacks that might occur around here. They label them as animal attacks to keep the public from discovering the truth. Most of the founding families have members in the council, including mine."

"You're in the council and you're helping Stefan and Damon?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure how would the council react if they found out I am a witch. Back in 1864, they burned all the witches in town right after they killed all the vampires. I doubt my father could understand that I am simply trying to keep a balance here. Even Damon has his uses, limited though may be. The council sees all vampires as demons that have to be eliminated, but we both know not all vampires are bad. You and Stefan are two perfectly good examples."

"Are you planning on telling your father about your powers?"

"One day, maybe. For now though, I intend to keep my powers a secret for as long as possible. It was my grandmother's wish to keep our secret from the males of the family, so I'm going to keep my word until I can't do anything else but tell him."

"So, to change subjects, Stefan tells me he is interested in a girl named Elena. Do you know her?"

"She is one of my closest friends actually. She really likes him, it's just that this whole vampire thing is a bit much for her. She just lost her parents four months ago, found out that I am a witch and that the boy she likes is a vampire. I'm happy she hasn't flipped out on us yet."

"How did she find out about you?"

"It was about a month ago. Damon did one of his stupid 'I-don't-care-I'm-a-vampire-and-I'll-feed-on-anyon e-I-want' things, so Stefan vervained him and locked him up in the Boarding House cellar. Somehow he was able to escape, he killed the last remaining living Salvatore and roamed the woods for victims. He found a gang of drug addicts and feasted on all of them, burning the bodies afterwards to cover his tracks. Unfortunately however, he was a bit careless and one of the guys had somehow gotten vampire blood in his system, so he woke up in transition a few hours later."

"Oh dear," Lexi chimed.

"You haven't heard the worst of it. At dawn, he returned to the Boarding house where I was put on babysitting duty, watching him for the entire day while the guy woke up and started roaming the woods. Close to sunset, he visited a friend of mine that used to hang out with them before she changed her mind and got a hold of her life again. She was lucky enough to react fast enough and locked herself in her house before the guy could bite her. She called me and I drove there to meet up with Stefan so we could drive the newborn away. Ironically enough, Damon tagged along."

"He wanted to help?"

"Believe me, I'm still surprised. Anyway, we managed to get the guy away from the house and back in the woods but before we could reason with him, one of the council's hunters shot at Stefan. Damon and I were just arriving, so Damon jumped at the hunter and killed him before checking up on Stefan. The newborn was attracted by the scent of the blood and fed on the hunter's body, but I decapitated him before he could get away."

"You did what?" Lexi turned to look at me with wide eyes.

"I had no other choice. We have enough vampires around, no need for another one, and a newborn at that. The worst thing was though that, when I tried to check on the hunter, see if he was okay, he shot me. He thought I was a vampire I guess. The guys took me out of there after I passed out and the next thing I know, I am lying on the couch you sat on this afternoon, with Stefan poking at my wound with a pair of tweezers while Damon sipped on some bourbon and Elena looked at me with eyes so wide I thought the whites were almost gone. Stefan tried to give me his blood but I stopped him and simply healed myself."

"Why didn't you let Stefan heal you? Vampire blood is healing to humans."

"I know, but I had no idea if I would live. I didn't want to be turned. It's the worst thing that can happen to a witch."

"So Elena saw you performing the spell and found out."

"Yeah. Thankfully enough she took it very well. But enough about me and my near death experiences. What about you, I have no idea about your life. Where were you born?" Lexi smiled as we sat on the bench of the square by the clock tower.

"Well, my story begins back in 1659. Though compulsion is supposed to wear off when we wake up in transition, I have no memory of how vampire blood got into my system. All I know is that I was walking through my home village in Louisiana and a man attacked me, trying to take my bag. We struggled, he pushed me hard, I lost my balance and hit my head on a stone bench that was behind me. I woke up the next night in a shallow grave in the forest close to my village. At first, I was really scared of moving at all, but my hunger instincts took over and my thirst overwhelmed me, so I followed the scent that was coming from the village. I was unlucky though. I found the same guy that had attacked me, walking to his home with a prostitute by his side. I followed them and attacked moments before they could get inside. I fed on the woman, draining her dry in seconds while the man watched, horrified, frozen on his spot. When I stood, dropping her dead body on the ground, he looked at me with absolute horror in his eyes. I could tell he was drunk, but not drunk enough so as to not understand what was happening around him.

He must have recognized me because he tried to run, but I was faster and I grabbed his arm and pulled, hard. Unfortunately I pulled too hard, since the next thing I knew he was screaming and his arm had been torn from his body. I dropped it, horrified. But he started swearing, and I remembered what he did to me. My anger took over my sense of ethics and I started tearing his body into pieces, until he stopped screaming and his pieces were scattered all over the ground."

I shuddered, imagining how that had looked like. Lexi noticed it and stopped. "I'm sorry, I should have edited that part."

"It's okay Lex, you went through a lot. Go on, I'm fine." She seemed a bit reluctant, but she went on. "After I had finished with him, I realized what I had done and got really scared with myself. Dawn was approaching and I knew people would start walking around, so I decided to leave for good."

"You had no one that would look for you?"

"No, I was never married and my parents had died when I was twelve. A neighboring couple had taken me in afterwards, raised me for 7 years until I could cope for myself and then let me go. The husband wanted to keep me for longer, but I left, since I had noticed that he had started staring at me in weird ways. Anyway, I hid in the forest, but when the sun rose and it hit my skin, I saw that it was hurting me and hurried to hide in the caves on the mountain close by. When night came, I left, moving during the night and hiding during the day. That has been my journey ever since."

"Were you scared of what you had become?"

"Of course. I even tried to kill myself a few times, but at the last minute I didn't go through with it. I thought that this was the chance for me to live forever, go wherever I wanted, see the whole world. It took me a few years to control my thirst, channel the urges, but I haven't killed a human on purpose in over 100 years."

"Then how do you do it?"

"I feed as much as I need to stay strong and then compel my victims to forget about the incident. That way, I satisfy my thirst without killing those that are not already dying."

"Yeah, Stefan told me something about that. You only kill those that have no chance of surviving, right?"

"He told you that?"

"He was telling me how he became a vampire, and it kinda popped in."

"I see. Well, during the Civil war, there were many injured camps, and most of the soldiers had no chance of healing, so I had thought back then, why let them suffer any longer?"

"How come you didn't heal them with your blood?"

"I had thought about that first, but then I realized that if I healed too many soldiers, suspicions would arise. Not to mention that, if they went back to war and they died, they would wake up in transition. Imagine having about 20 or 40 or even 100 transitioning vampires in the same area."

"A massacre," I whispered, horrified.

"Exactly. It was in one of the injured camps that I met Stefan. He was so lost and confused, I had to help him get his bearings before he attracted attention and gotten himself killed." "So you helped him turn his humanity back on, right?"

"Yes. After he woke up in transition, he made the mistake of returning to his home. One of the servants must have let him in, and he went to talk to his father. They argued about that bitch Katherine, his father revealed to him that he was the one that killed him, they struggled and when his father threw a stake at him, Stefan reacted in instinct and threw it right back at him, hitting him straight in the chest. His senses picked up the scent of blood and he couldn't resist. He fed on his father, thus killing him. When he realized what he had done, the pain was so much that caused him to turn his emotions off, thus becoming a ripper."

"A ripper?"

"It's a term I have invented to categorize vampires that have gone haywire, killing without a care."

"So Damon is a ripper?"

"Not exactly. He kills to piss off his brother, but you told me he ran to his brother when he was shot. That suggests there are still a few emotions in him limited as they may be. When we turn our emotions off, we lock our human side away and let the vampire side take a hold of us. We kill without remorse, take what we want when we want it and generally cause pain and havoc just for the fun of it. It's very difficult and most of the times painful to turn our humanity back on, since it requires feeling certain things again, emotions, feelings. A vampire has amplified emotions. When we hate, we really hate. When we are hurt, the hurt is too much sometimes. But when we love, we love with our whole existence."

"How do you get a vampire to turn his humanity back on?"

"It usually starts with emotions. Since they have been turned off, you have to turn them back on one at a time. It usually starts with pain or anger, those are the easiest ones to provoke. After that, the others follow. It's very difficult in certain cases though. It took me a solid 70 years to get Stefan to crack a small smile. He is much better now though, even with this whole Elena problem. He likes her, but is afraid that he is going to hurt her if he gets involved with her."

"But he still wants her, right?"

"Right."

"I just hope Damon doesn't do anything to get in the way again. Was he always this annoying?"

"No actually. He used to be a carefree man, with logic and manners."

"Wow, it sounds like a completely different person."

"I told you, vampire feelings are amplified. 145 years of longing for his lost love have darkened his heart. When I first met him, right before he abandoned Stefan because he couldn't stare at the brother that was the cause of Katherine's death, he asked me to take care of Stefan, and I have done so for the past 145 years."

I stayed silent, trying to imagine a Damon with feelings. It sounded absurd to say the least.

"Katherine's death really ruined them, didn't it?" I whispered.

"Yes, it did. I tried to help Damon with his pain, but he wouldn't let me. He has changed ever since though, he has become far more dangerous. I think he might even try to ruin Stefan's birthday celebration tonight."

"Then it's a good thing that two of Stefan's friends will be there to look after him and make sure Damon doesn't do anything stupid, right?"

I winked at her, making her giggle. "Come on, time for some shopping therapy. We want to look divine tonight, right?" I said as I pulled her to the closest clothes store. She followed, laughing. "Off we go!"

I dropped Lexi at the Boarding house a couple of hours later so she could get ready for the party. I was going to pick her up later, so we could go together to the Grill. On my way home, I thought about what Lexi had told me. Stefan had gone through a lot, but so had Damon. It surprised me to see Damon as a victim rather than a bad guy. And while Stefan had Lexi to keep him sane, Damon had no one. He spent the grief and pain alone. It had affected him greatly, I could tell, and I felt sorry for him. It seemed impossible, silly even, but I had the strangest feeling that he still had some humanity in him, buried deep underneath the anger and snarky remarks.

Despite his general behavior and reactions to various situations, I could now see clearly through the ruse. He was still trying to mask his hurt with anger and carelessness. I shook my head, too confused to continue thinking about it. Around 7, I was standing in front of my mirror, adding the final touches to my makeup. I had chosen a sea blue cocktail dress with a generous cleavage and a skirt that reached right above my knees. It was made of satin, a material I loved because it clung to my body like a second skin, but it also let me have freedom of movement. I had left my hair loose in long curls and had kept my makeup simple.

Ethan had no objection when I had told him that our date tonight had turned into a party for Stefan's birthday. Ethan really liked Stefan and trusted him with me, so I thanked the heavens I had gotten a trusty boyfriend. There was no reason for him to worry, but I hated it when a guy I had chosen to go out with thought I was going to betray their trust. I knew the feeling of betrayal and how much it hurt, there was no way I would ever let someone go through the same torture, not if I could help it. Black strapped heeled sandals completed the attire, even if it was a bit cold outside. My black coat was more than capable of keeping me warm. I had other things to worry about ruining my night other than the cold wind. My dad wasn't in the house, so I left a note for him on the fridge and left.

The sun was setting behind the thick treeline as I parked in front of the Boarding house. As I got out, I could hear two voices arguing from the window in Stefan's bedroom. I focused on them and realized the second voice was Lexi. What could they be arguing about? I made my way in the house. Damon was nowhere in sight, and his car was missing from up front, so he wasn't here. I climbed the stairs and reached Stefan's door just in time to see Lexi fuming at him. "Are you out of your freaking mind?"

"Lex, let me explain," Stefan tried to reason with her, but without much success. "You'd better have a very good explanation," Lexi interjected, almost seething.

"Guys, pipe it down a bit, half the Mystic Falls can probably hear you," I cut in as I climbed the last few steps and made my way into the room. The place was packed with books. There were in the shelves on the walls, on Stefan's desk, on the floor. It looked like an old books sale. Only the king size bed was clean of books and neatly made. Both vampires turned to look at me, Stefan looking a bit relieved and Lexi glaring.

"Hey Rayna," Stefan greeted me, his relief evident even in his tone. Lexi, on the other hand, left her spot in front of Stefan and marched at my direction, looking furious. "Why didn't you tell me?" she accused me, her glare not withering for a second.

"About what?" I jumped back, not expecting such hostile behavior from her.

"I met Elena," she replied at the same tone. "What about her? Was she rude to you?" I asked, not sure what was going on.

Lexi's glare disappeared and a look on confusion replaced it. She turned sharply towards Stefan. I had to admit, I felt relieved that she wasn't glaring at me. I had really taken a liking to her, I'd hate to use my powers on her.

"She doesn't know?" she asked Stefan, and I officially felt lost. What was going on?

"I never had the chance to explain this to Rayna. You do realize it's a sensitive matter that requires the right time to discuss it, right?" Stefan pointed out, and I was beginning to feel frustrated. What was so important that had Lexi fuming?

"Guys, let me in on the matter, what is going on that made Lexi jump at me like that?"

"Sorry about that Rayna, I thought you knew about this," she replied as she held out a piece of paper for me to see. I took it and glanced at it.

At that moment, I felt my blood freezing at the sight. My breath left my body as I comprehended the matter at hand. On the piece of paper was photo portrait of a woman from the 1860s. The woman was the twin of Elena, only with curly hair and different clothes. If you looked really close, there was a slight dark aura in the depths of her eyes. This was most definitely not Elena. The caption on the bottom read Katherine Pierce, 1864. I couldn't believe my eyes. After the initial shock passed, I raised my gaze to Stefan. "You have some serious explaining to do."

I sat on the armchair across from Stefan's study, still holding the photo of Katherine, while Lexi sat cross-legged on Stefan's bed, applying her makeup. He sat on a chair by his bed, his face apologetic. "You have some serious emotional damage," Lexi stated as she put on her eyeliner.

"It's not what you think, she's not Katherine," Stefan defended.

"Then they could be related, because they could be frigging twins!" I exhaled, tossing the photo on the study. It was almost impossible to comprehend that the same vampire that had changed Stefan and Damon was an identical twin to my childhood best friend.

"I don't know," Stefan shrugged. "You don't know, or you didn't find out?" Lexi retorted, casting a glance at him.

"Maybe I don't wanna know," Stefan sighed. "Look, I have no desire to tie Elena to Katherine."

Lexi threw him a look that said it all. It was kinda hard to believe that he was over his old love since his new girlfriend was a spitting image of the old one.

"Okay I admit that the resemblance is what drew me in, but that's it. Katherine and Elena may look the same on the outside but on the inside they are completely different."

"Oh, so Elena is not a raging bitch then?" Lexi retorted.

"I assure you, she's anything but," I piped in.

"Rayna's right. Elena's warm, and she's kind, and she's caring and she's selfless, and it's real. And, honestly, when I'm around her, I completely forget what I am," he finished with a warm smile.

"Oh, my God," Lexi breathed, impressed. "You're in love with her."

I looked at Stefan and, sure enough, the look on his face and the smile he was so desperately trying to hide spoke louder than he ever could. He was in love with Elena.

"Yeah, I am," he said softly.

Lexi smiled, while Stefan turned to look at me, almost afraid of me.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked him. He didn't speak, but I immediately understood.

"I'm not going to do anything about it Stefan. I saw how Elena acts when she's around you. She just needs time to adjust to the whole vampire witch thing, but she'll come around. On another note though, we can't just let the subject that Elena and Katherine look so much alike drop. You may not want to tie them, but I want to know what is going on. I'm never good with surprises, and this is most definitely something at has to be investigated, soon."

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Stefan asked.

"How about we go to the party tonight, have a good time, celebrate your birthday and start the whole investigation thing tomorrow, discreetly of course. I'm not sure how Elena would react if she found out about this so soon."

"Okay. You guys go to the Grill, I'll stop by Elena's house. I think I owe her an explanation for Lexi," Stefan replied, looking relieved with my opinion on the whole matter.

"Why, what happened?" I asked.

"Elena stopped by earlier, and she came in while I was in nothing but a towel," Lexi explained.

"Yikes," I cringed. Any sane girl would have thought the same thing Elena probably did, that Lexi was Stefan's latest girlfriend. Stefan really had to go over to Elena's place and explain, before Elena decided not to speak to him ever again.

Lexi and I got in my car and drove away, leaving Stefan behind to try and figure out what he was going to say to Elena.

"How much do you want to bet he's gonna try to convince Elena to come to the party?" I asked her as we drove into town.

She smiled as she looked at me. "You definitely know him. It's gonna be awkward, but I hope they work it out. I'm willing to tell her that I have nothing romantic with Stefan, it's the true anyway," Lexi shrugged.

"Don't worry, as soon as the initial shock goes away, she'll come around. The fact that she saw you in the towel might be a bit of an obstacle, but she'll understand," I assured her. She smiled as we drove on.

I parked the car on a spot right outside the Grill and we made our way in the already crowded diner. Before we had the chance to walk to a free table, Damon appeared out on nowhere, with two shots of what looked like bourbon. "Good evening ladies. Can I interest you with an early drink?" he smirked at us.

"No thanks Damon, we have a long night ahead of us, no need to start so early," Lexi replied.

"Lexi's right. When Stefan gets here, we can start the celebrations," I agreed as I heard one of my favorite songs, Supermassive Black Hole by Muse playing from the speakers.

"God, I love this song. You up for a dance Lex?" I turned to her.

"Oh yeah," she smiled as she pulled me towards the dancefloor. I spared a glance at Damon and his scowl suggested that whatever plan he had in his mind was not going well. I'd have to keep an eye on him for the rest of the night, just in case. He definitely was up to something, and that was not good.

After 2 dances, we decided to take a break and get something to drink to regain our strength. Lexi ordered 2 cokes and brought them to the table I had sat on. She gave the one to me and we sipped slowly, gazing at the growing crowd. Andy and Vicki were dancing at the very center of the dancefloor, with Tyler sitting on the sidelines, watching them and scowling. "Whoa, football boy seems pretty upset," Lexi commented when she noticed the target of my gaze.

"He lost his plaything," I replied as I pointed discreetly at the loving couple that held each other close. They looked so content with each other, I almost envied them.

"Oh, I see," Lexi nodded.

"I don't know how they were together, but I have to say that the girl looks a lot happier now."

"Considering she was deep into drugs and was letting herself be manipulated by Tyler, I'd say she is much better now. And the weirdest thing? It took one attack from Damon to shake her world enough and get some sense into her head. Ironic, right?"

"I'll say. Wow, it seems almost surreal that something Damon did actually had a good outcome."

"I know, I'm still working on believing that," I chuckled.

"So, where is your guy, do I get to meet him?" she smiled suggestively, making me blush. At that moment, the door of the Grill opened and Ethan walked in, looking more fabulous than ever. "Speak of the devil," I whispered, pointing at him.

Lexi glanced at him then turned to look at me again. "Mm, nice. On the outside, I definitely approve of him. Is he as beautiful on the inside?"

"Even more so," I replied as I made my way towards him.

Halfway there, he spotted me and that fabulous smile I had come to crave appeared on his angelic face.

"Hey, you look absolutely gorgeous tonight. I feel like I should be carrying a gun, someone might try to steal you from me," he whispered as he hugged me. "I assure you, no one can take me from you," I smiled as I kissed him on his soft cheek. I felt his arms circling my waist and I let out a contented sigh. I felt so nice in his arms, like I was born to be here.

"Who's the girl you're sitting with? I don't think I've seen her around," he asked as he held my close to him.

"She's a friend of Stefan's, she came for his birthday," I simply replied.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd be worried about your friendship with Stefan," he teased me.

"But you do know better, right?"

"Of course. Stefan is an honest guy; he would never try to steal you away from me. His brother, on the other hand, is someone I hope never to see you with."

"I promise you, you won't. He is so not my type."

"And what is your type exactly?" Ethan smiled teasingly at me.

"Oh, you know, auburn hair, green eyes, great dancing skills, a golden heart and a bright soul. Have you seen anyone like that around here?" I asked as I looked around.

"I'll look, but what happens if you don't find anyone like that?"

"Oh, I think there is at least one like that in here, and he's standing right in front of me," I smiled at him.

He smiled as well and kissed my cheek, making me sigh. This was so great. "How about a dance my fair lady?" he asked, offering me his hand, which I gladly took.

"Certainly kind sir," I bowed as we made our way to the dancefloor. I glanced at Lexi and she gave me a thumbs up. I smiled at her and lost myself in Ethan's arms. As we twirled around though, I caught Damon staring at us, an undecipherable emotion in the depths of his blue eyes. I ignored him, unwilling to let him ruin my perfect moment. He was probably trying to come up with an idea to ruin the party. Nothing like that would happen though, not if I could help it.

Damon POV

The plan I had set in motion was not going well at all. The unexpected friendship between Lexi and Rayna had complicated things a lot. Lexi now had made a public appearance in daylight, which had eliminated her as a suspect for the animal attacks. The council was getting closer to us every day, I had to find someone to blame, and Lexi was the prefect candidate. Not only the suspicions would disappear, I would get in the council right away and ruin Stefan's big night all in one shot.

Now, I watched as Rayna had left Lexi at their table and was dancing with that Ethan boy. What was she seeing in him anyway? He had nothing special, and yet she gazed at him with dreamy eyes. It disgusted me that a beautiful girl like her would be wasted away with a guy like him. Sure, he was kind and had manners, but I knew that most guys were like that until they got what they wanted. After that, they revealed their bad side, the hungrey predator that wanted to devour the innocent maiden. It was not easy to imagine Rayna as an innocent maiden, but I doubted she had much experience with men, so she still had some innocence about her. As soon as the guy would get her to his bed, he would abandon her, I was sure of it.

I spotted Caroline and went to see if she had gotten the crystal from Bonnie yet. Now was not the time to worry about Rayna's boyfriend, it shouldn't bother me anyway. "Where is it?" I asked her, a bit angry.

"Bonnie won't give it to me," she whined.

"So rip it off her neck," I huffed, so disturbed with her incompetence.

"I tried, it shocked me," she shrugged.

"Damn it, why does it do that? I need that crystal," I growled at Caroline, feeling so angry I could rip her head off. Too bad we were in a public place.

"Why are you being like this? I'm so good to you and I'd do anything. It's just some stupid necklace," Caroline purred as she held my hands, trying to be affectionate. It irritated me to no end.

"No," I stopped her from touching me, "you are the only stupid thing around here. And shallow. And useless," I hissed before I abandoned her, walking away. Why was I surrounded by useless people? I had to find another way to get that crystal, and soon.

Rayna POV

After our third dance with Ethan, we decided to catch out breaths and get something to drink. As we made our way to a table, I accidentally bumped shoulders with someone. The weirdest thing though, was that I got the same shock I get when I touch vampires when I touched the guy. "Sorry," I muttered, and the guy turned to look at me.

"It's nothing, forget about it," he waved me off.

I followed Ethan to the table, thinking about that encounter. So, there was another vampire in here? As if we didn't have enough. I spotted Damon exiting the bar from the back door, and something told me to follow him. I had a really bad feeling about this.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the ladies room, be back in a tick, okay?" I told Ethan.

"Sure, I'll be here," he nodded. I kept my distance as I followed Damon to the back of the bar, where I could see a young couple about to make out. Before I could stop him, he attacked the boy and bit him hard, letting him fall on the floor, bleeding. The girl screamed in horror, but he compelled her right away, so she stopped screaming and simply stared at him in horror.

I listened closely and heard the worst thing that could ever come from his lips.

"You're going to say that the stranger woman with the blond hair and the blue necklace attacked and killed your boyfriend. She bit him on the neck, and her eyes were black with red veins beneath them," Damon said as he stared straight into the girl's eyes. The girl repeated everything Damon said with a trembling voice, and Damon released her and flashed back into the bar, leaving the girl to sob over her boyfriend's dead body.

So this was his plan. He wanted to kill Lexi in order to hurt Stefan and ruin his birthday. This worked well for him as well, since the council would think they had gotten the vampire responsible for the attacks and any suspicions would dissolve. Well sorry Damon, I have other plans for tonight, and that rogue vampire was perfect for my plan. It would be just easier to kill Damon and be done with him, but I knew that Stefan would be upset. He still loved his brother no matter what. It was going to be tricky, but the plan I had in mind would work if I timed it properly.

I went back in the bar and, while staying out of my friends' sight, I located the rogue vampire. He was standing in a corner, observing the crowd. He must have felt me watching him, since he turned his gaze at me. I smiled seductively at him and he smiled as well, making his way towards me. I exited the bar and he followed me to a quiet spot by the dumpsters, where no one could hear or see us.

"Hello there," he purred as he scanned my body up and down, moving closer as he did so. He pinned me against the wall, breathing in my scent. I grabbed him by the neck, making him glance at me in alert. I let my magic flow and take over me as I executed one of the most difficult spells I had ever come across in my witchy life.

"You're going to go to that girl that is crying in that alley and compel her to think you attacked and killed her boyfriend. Then you are going to forget about me and go back into the bar like none of this ever happened," I said to him in a clear voice.

He repeated everything I said and went to the girl. He compelled her and then went back to the bar like I had ordered him to. I stayed outside for a moment, trying to get the dizziness to stop. It was a really advanced spell that I had found a few days ago in the oldest grimoire I my ancestor was, she was really powerful if she could create a spell that enabled me to compel a vampire. Then again, there was a note that said only the women of my bloodline could execute such a spell. I wasn't sure I could do it, but apparently I could.

When I felt strong enough, I made my way back in the bar. Damon was in for a big surprise.

As I went back inside the Grill, I almost collided with Bonnie, who seemed more pissed off than I had ever seen her.

"Hey Bon, where's the fire?"

"In Caroline's non-existent brain. I have no idea why, but Damon has her on this crazy mission to get my crystal. She tried to yank it off of my neck, but it sort of zapped her. Why would he want my ancestor's crystal so much?"

"I don't know Bon, but if you feel that the crystal belongs to you, you should keep it no matter what," I advised her.

"That I'm gonna do. Now, all I need is to find Caroline and apologize to her. I was a bit rude earlier on."

"Okay Bon, see ya around," I nodded as she walked away.

To my surprise, I saw Elena sitting at a table by herself, staring at Lexi and Stefan playing pool. I decided to stop whatever dark thought was going in her mind before it got too haywire. "Hey Elena, nice seeing you here," I smiled brightly at her.

"Hey," she greeted me, never taking her eyes from the two friends that laughed and had lots of fun trying to beat each other at pool.

"Elena, she's just a friend of Stefan's, there's nothing for you to worry." Elena turned sharply to look at me, her eyes wide. "Stefan asked me to keep her company and show her around and I can assure you, she sees Stefan only as a friend."

"Yeah, he told me so, it's just that-"

"You still miss him and you're feeling jealous as hell," I completed her sentence before she could. Her wide eyes and rosy cheeks spoke louder than her words ever could.

"El, it's okay to be feeling like that. Any girl with half a brain would feel intimidated by how close Stefan and Lexi are, but there is absolutely no reason for you to worry."

"Rayna's right you know," Lexi said as she came to our table, holding four shots of tequila. She placed them on the table and turned to glanced at Elena. "Hi," she said politely.

"Hello towel girl," Elena replied, a bit sour.

"I've been called around worse," Lexi joked, breaking the ice. We all chuckled at her comment, and I felt the tension slipping away.

"Lexi Branson, meet my oldest and closest friend, Elena Gilbert," I introduced the two girls. They nodded at each other, Elena probably understanding that she had been acting paranoid thinking that Lexi and Stefan had something other than friendship.

"Okay, I think I'll leave you two to chat. I have neglected my date for far too long, he' bound to start searching for me," I announced.

"Come on, at least do your shot," Lexi nudged me, pushing one of the glasses towards me. I took it and downed the liquid, feeling the burn of the alcohol as it went down my throat. "See you around guys," I waved as I looked around for Ethan.

He was talking with Matt, across the bar. Before I could get to him however, someone pulled me by my arm to a corner of the bar. "Hey!" I protested, but relaxed immediately when I saw it was just my father. "Hey dad, what's wrong?"

"Who's that girl I saw you talking with just now, the one that sits with Elena?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Lexi, she's a friend of Stefan's. She came in town today for Stefan's birthday, why?"

"The council has been called for a vampire attack tonight, just outside the bar. One of the Sheriff's deputies found a girl sobbing and the body of a young man. The bite is quite obvious Rayna, there is a vampire somewhere in here."

"And what does Lexi have to do with this?" I interjected.

"We suspect any and all newcomers since the attacks began. Have you noticed anything peculiar about that girl?"

"I was with her all day. I showed her around town, we shopped, we had lunch, we talked, nothing out of place. She's just an ordinary girl who came to visit her friend. She does that every year, Stefan told me so," I assured him.

"Okay, and since you've been ingesting vervain, she cannot compel you to lie. Then it's probably not her."

"Dad, I was out with her during the daytime, I thought vampires can't go out in the sunlight," I pointed out.

"We thought so too, but it seems they might have discovered a way to come out without getting hurt. Listen, I need you to do something for me. Here, put this in a beverage and offer it to her," he said as he gave me a vial with a light blue liquid. "This is vervain extract. It's the only way to make sure she is human. Be careful, don't let her realize you're suspecting her. We have to catch her nice and easy, keep the people in the dark."

I nodded, taking the vial and walking slowly towards the bar. How was I supposed to do this? I ordered the two cokes, paid for them and slipped vervain in one of them. I held the clean one on my right hand and the vervained one on my left as I made my way towards Lexi. She smiled when she saw me. "You were right, Elena is nothing like Katherine. I have never met the woman, but I can tell that Elena is full of light. Stefan is definitely going to be happy with her," Lexi smiled brightly.

"Then let us toast to their happiness," I offered as I gave her the glass with the clean coke.

"Couldn't get anything stronger? Let me try," she tried to leave, but I held her back, whispering quickly. "Please, drink this one and then we can go get something else. It's very important. Trust me."

She looked at me, confused, but complied, much to my relief. "To Stefan and his happiness," I toasted and she clinked her glass with mine before sipping from her coke. When she didn't react, I turned to look at my father, and he nodded. He beckoned me to come with him outside, and I drank all lf my coke, cringing at the taste before leaning in to whisper to Lexi and Stefan, who had just joined us.

"Don't drink from any other glass than the one I gave you. Something is going on, but I'm not sure. Be very careful," I warned them both before making my way outside.

The Sheriff was outside, with at least three deputies and the girl from before who was still shaking. "What happened?" the Sheriff asked as she saw me.

"No reaction at all. She's okay," I replied, looking at the girl. Poor thing was shaking almost violently.

"What happened?" I asked the sheriff. "The demon attacked the couple, but only killed the boy," she replied.

"Did she see who it was?" my father asked, and I tired to remain calm.

"I'm not sure, she's not able to talk from the shock," the sheriff shook her head. "Let me try," I assured her as I made my way to the girl. I felt guilty for having this girl compelled twice, but I had to do it in order to save my friends. Plus, that other vampire was going to cause havoc sooner or later, so I was just helping the council.

"Honey, look at me," I crooned, making the girl gaze at me with teary eyes. "Did you see who did this to your boyfriend?"

She nodded, unable to talk. My dad and Sheriff Forbes came closer to see what I was doing. "I have a way of punishing whoever did this to him. I can take you in the bar and you can tell me if the person who attacked him is in there."

"What if he sees us?"

"He won't. We'll stay by the door, so he won't be able to notice us. We just go in, you point him out and we come back out, okay? Can you do that?"

She nodded, making the Sheriff nearly ecstatic. I took the girl by the arm, cleaned her face a bit and held her steady as we climbed the stairs to the entrance. Before we could reach the top, the door opened and Matt came out, holding a very drunk Caroline.

"What happened to her?" I asked, concerned. "She got a bit drunk," Matt replied still supporting her.

"Have they been serving you alcohol in there?" the Sheriff asked, hearing our conversation.

"I'm clean Sheriff. I'm gonna get Caroline home safely, don't worry about it."

"We are going to talk about this later," the Sheriff hissed at her daughter.

"Yeah, like you care," Caroline replied drunkenly.

"Okay, off you go. Don't let anyone else leave the bar," she ordered her deputies, and they took positions as we went in. We stood in the corner as the Sheriff came in and headed towards the bar. The girl at my side noticed the vampire sitting at the end of the bar, looking around lazily.

"That's him," she whimpered, shaking.

I looked over at the guy and signaled the Sheriff discreetly towards his spot. The sheriff noticed him and walked up to him, holding a small injector. She stuck it to his arm, and the guy faltered. In a flash, two deputies were supporting him as they dragged him to the entrance. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the scene that was unfolding in front of them.

"It's okay everyone, back to your normal business. This is police work," the Sheriff announced as they dragged the guy away. I could see Stefan, Elena and Lexi watching with wide eyes as the vampire was being dragged outside. Lexi locked eyes with me, but I avoided their gazes as I led the girl where my dad was. Damon watched the scene with wide eyes and tried to talk to the Sheriff, but she waved him off and went outside with her deputies.

I looked at Stefan and mouthed to him to stay inside as I went out before the deputies could see me. I watched as the officers led the guy to the patrol car but before they could lock him in, he threw them way with a growl. The Sheriff pulled her gun and shot at the guy's chest, but she missed his heart. The guy looked at his wounds and then turned to glare at the Sheriff, his vampire features coming to surface. He started towards her but I yelled at him before he could get to her, getting his attention.

He turned to look at me, and the next thing I knew Damon had showed up out of nowhere and had driven a stake through the guy's heart. The guy choked and fell on the ground, his skin turning grey right before us. "Rayna, are you okay?" my dad asked as he came to my side.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sheriff, are you okay?" She nodded as she glanced at both the body and Damon.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Put that away before someone sees it," she ordered and went back in the bar.

Damon grabbed the top half and I grabbed the bottom as my dad popped the patrol car's trunk open. We dropped the body inside and my dad went to make sure everything was going well inside. As soon as he was out of earshot, Damon pulled my arm hard to make me look at him. "What the hell did you do?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I shrugged as I closed the trunk, barely missing his fingers. "We just killed a vampire that was threatening to expose you and your brother. With him dead, you guys are off the radar. Not to mention that, with your performance tonight, you most likely won a spot in the council as their official slayer. You should be happy," I sneered at him.

I went to leave, but he yanked me back, angering me. "I want to know what you did," he hissed, and I grabbed his hand, shocking it off of me.

"Let me clarify this just once, so we don't have any other misunderstandings. Stefan is my friend, and his friends are my friends. The next time you try to hurt any of my friends, I'm going to make sure you somehow lose your daylight ring in the middle of the day while you walk around carelessly. And trust me, you don't want to test me," I growled at him as I yanked my arm from his grip and made my way to the bar, not once glancing behind to see his dumbfounded face.

As I went in, the Sheriff was dragging the bartender for giving alcohol to minors. As soon as I was inside, Stefan and Elena were all over me.

"What happened Rayna?" Elena asked, worried.

"Nothing you need to be worried about. A rogue vampire that apparently attacked a boy in an alley nearby and was stupid enough to stay here without hiding the body or killing the witness. Now he's dead and we can go on with our night.

" "It was Damon, wasn't it?" Stefan growled, looking around for his older brother.

"I took care of it Stefan, so stop brooding and let us enjoy the rest of your birthday party."

"I can't believe he would try and reveal Lexi's nature to the council just to ruin my birthday," Stefan exhaled, passing his hand through his hair.

"Once again, I took care of everything. The vampire's dead, the council's worries have been dealt with and now Damon is a trusted member of the council, since he staked the vampire to save the Sheriff, so everyone got what they wanted and the rogue vampy boy is gone forever. Come on, let's get on with this party."

"Actually, I think it's about time I leave, before Damon comes up with another plan to kill me," Lexi declared.

"I'm going to kill him," Stefan growled, still furious with his brother.

"And spend the rest of eternity regretting it. I know you too well Stefan, you would never kill Damon. No matter what he is, he is still your brother. Now come on, let's have a last game of pool before I leave," Lexi pulled him towards the pool tables.

After two games of pool which they played while Elena and I watched, we all exited the Grill. We went to a kinda secluded place so Lexi could run away without being seen.

"So, I have to go. Stef," she held her arms open and the two friends embraced, holding each other tight.

"It was good seeing you again Lex," Stefan sighed, content that his friend was safe and undead.

"Once again, happy birthday. Do try and behave while I'm gone, will you?" Stefan chuckled at that, and so did we.

Next was Elena. She and Lexi embraced, with Lexi whispering something that was too low for me to hear, and then Lexi turned to me. I hugged her tightly, already knowing that I would see her again one day. We had exchanged phone numbers so we could stay in touch and I could update her on anything that happened to Stefan, plus, she was a great person, no matter what her diet was.

"Keep an eye out," she said as she looked at me. "And thanks for the gift again."

"Keep good care of it, and of yourself," I smiled at my new friend. We hugged again and after a last smile, she vanished into thin air.

We stayed there for a few moments, relishing in the memories of the night.

"I think I have to talk to Damon," Stefan said stiffly.

"Do me a favor and don't kill him. He might be a stupid son of a bitch, but he still has his uses," I warned him.

"He just tried to kill my best friend Rayna, you can't expect me to just let it go," Stefan sighed, exasperated.

"I'm not saying to let it go. Torture him if you want, but keep him alive. Lexi was right when she said that, even if he is a monster, he is still your brother and you would regret it for the rest of your life if you killed him. Take a walk before going home, clear your head," I advised him.

"She's right you know," Elena agreed.

"I have to go," he said to both of us before disappearing into the night.

Elena sighed, defeated. "Come on El, I'll drive you home," I nodded towards my car.

* * *

So, I kept Lexi alive, I hope this works for the majority of my readers. I will bring her back again, just so you know. It has been my opinion that, if Lexi had stayed alive, a lot bad things that occured on the show could have been prevented.

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome!


	11. A new teacher and EmilyBonnie troubles

_**So, I'm not getting many reviews, so I have no idea how you guys react to my plot, and if you have anything to suggest. It's not much to just write something, even the simplest message. I would really appreciate it, thank you.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs.**_

* * *

November 6th

Rayna POV

I woke up feeling so drained, I really considered skipping school. That spell last night really took a lot of stamina, but it was definitely worth it. Lexi was safe and away from Mystic Falls, I hoped that Stefan had listened to me and he hadn't killed Damon, and Elena was still depressed about not being able to be with Stefan. I got up from my bed, feeling so sore, as if a truck had passed over me. I showered and got ready for school in a daze, not really registering what I had chosen to wear or how I had tied my hair. My dad was downstairs, flipping pancakes on the stove.

"Dad, give me a plate of those and I shall be your eternal servant," I groaned as the delicious scent of pancakes invaded my nostrils.

"And good morning to you too," he chuckled as he saw me pour some coffee with a really healthy dose of cream and sugar before I sat on the counter. "Looks like you had fun at the party last night, after the vampire kill."

"It was my friend's birthday and we were at a party, it's expected. Did you guys bury the body?"

"We burned it and threw away the ashes. There is nothing left of that thing. Maybe now our town can take a calming breath."

"What if he had a mate or had created another vampire?" I asked as I took a bite of the pancakes, moaning at the lovely taste that filled my mouth.

"We'll deal with them as well. For now, we are safe."

"Thank goodness for that," I toasted, raising my mug.

After breakfast, I drove to school, where I found Caroline and Elena talking. Elena seemed a bit uncomfortable, so I decided to cut in before it got too uncomfortable for her.

"Bright good morning to my friends," I greeted them, making them both turn to look at me. Elena looked relieved to see me.

"Hey Rayna. Sleep well?" she asked, smiling softly.

"Like a rock. I think I drank a little too much last night," I nodded.

"Trust me, I know the feeling. I woke up with a terrible hangover," Caroline agreed, holding her head.

"Expected, since you got pretty hammered last night. How did you manage to get so much alcohol from the bartender is beyond me," I shook my head.

"Why did you get drunk anyway?" Elena questioned our blond friend.

"Because my boyfriend thinks I'm shallow and stupid, my friend won't return the necklace I gave her and the guy that took me home and held me last night snuck out before dawn."

"Whoa, one thing at a time. I realize that the boyfriend is Damon, but did he really tell you all those things?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah," she nodded sadly.

"And you let him get to you? His past behavior has been nothing but a jackass, why do you go back to him Caroline? You are a great girl, he's not the only guy around you know," I pointed out.

"I don't know," she frowned.

The first bell rang and we all hurried to go inside. As we passed by Matt, Caroline turned to look at him with a longing stare, but he didn't even look at her. Caroline sighed and turned back to the front, disappointed. What was up with that?

At class, we had History, and this new teacher was supposed to come in today, filling in for the late Mr. Tanner. I just hoped that this one would be better behaving than the last one. I noticed Stefan's desk was empty, and Elena staring at it for a while before turning to her book. Bonnie came in at the last second, right before the second bell rang, looking really disturbed. A guy in his early thirties entered the classroom, wearing a dark blue shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

"Good morning everyone," he greeted the class as he left his books and notes on the teacher's desk and turned around to grab a piece of chalk and write on the blackboard.

While he was writing, I spared a glance at Bonnie, something that Elena did as well. Bonnie did not look good. Elena mouthed to Bonnie 'are you okay?', and Bonnie simply shrugged, looking as if she hadn't gotten any sleep at all.

The guy finished writing and turned to face us. "Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouthful, I know, it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Saltzman, is of German origin. My family immigrated here in 1755 to Texas, I however was born and raised in Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great grandfather I'll never be able to thank enough."

I barely stifled a giggle at the sound of that. This guy was really getting on my good side. He was so different than stuck-up bitchy Tanner. I had a feeling he and I would get along just fine.

"You probably want to pronounce it Alaric, but it's ALAric, so you can call me Rick. I'm your new history teacher."

The class was quite interesting, even if I really never liked History. This guy was really making me reconsider. He spoke nice about the events, explained everything thoroughly and was willing to answer any questions we had, no matter how stupid they sounded.

As I walked to my next class, I caught up with Ethan since we had Math together next.

"Hello stranger," I greeted him, making him jump in surprise, much to my amusement.

"Hello to you too. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the planets were in a really sucky order yesterday. Our first date and the bartender was taken away for serving drinks to minors."

"I hope our next one is going to be better," I winked at him.

He stopped and turned to look at me, confused.

"You really want a second date?" he asked, uncertain.

"Why not?" I shrugged. "I had fun last night, I like having fun with you."

He smiled, the smile lighting his entire face. "Then I'll make sure to take you out again, only this time I'll make sure our date doesn't coincide with one of Caroline's parties. Maybe a quieter place is in order this time."

"Amen to that," I agreed as we made our way to class. He was really a keeper this one.

At lunch break, Bonnie, Elena and I sat on a table, with Bonnie looking like she had a rough night.

"Bon, tell me about that dream again. That woman is your ancestor, right?" I asked her, feeling concerned about her.

"Yeah, Emily. I keep seeing her in my dreams every night. Last night, I ended up waking in the middle of the woods, whilst I dreamt about the remains of the old Fell's church, you know the ones they say used to be haunted. I think Emily is trying to haunt me."

"But why? Does she say anything in the dream?" Elena asked this time.

"I'm not sure. She keeps saying weird things. Grams says that she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War, and that this belonged to her," she held up the necklace.

"It all started when you got the necklace?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. I think she's trying to communicate with me."

"Have you told your Grams about this?" I asked this time.

"No. She'll tell me to embrace the connection I have with my ancestor, when all I want is this to stop. Please, don't tell her anything," Bonnie pleaded me.

"Alright, I won't, for now. But if your ancestor keeps coming to your dreams, you'll have to talk to her eventually. Out of the three of us, she is the most experienced with magic, she'll know what to say."

"I guess," Bonnie shrugged.

When classes ended, I caught up with Elena as she was going out of the school, when she froze in her tracks. I followed her gaze and I saw Stefan sitting on a table, waiting for her.

"You should talk to him," I whispered at her before I waved discreetly at Stefan and turning to the other side. It looked like they could use a little time alone, and I needed some quality time with my boyfriend.

On my way to the parking lot, I spotted Damon leaning against the gym, looking all badass. "Hello witchy," he smirked at me.

"I see Stefan didn't kill you," I greeted him, continuing my way to my car.

"No, but he did stake me. Too bad for that shirt, I liked it," he shrugged, keeping up beside me.

"You should stop irritating him if you don't want the incident to repeat itself," I offered, and he turned to look at me.

"I told you, I'm just living up to my promise. I am a man of my word, I have to keep tormenting him."

"You, a man of your word? Please Damon that is the lamest thing I have heard from you yet. You just have nothing better to do but tormenting Stefan, or you are really jealous that he finally has friends, unlike you," I retorted.

His gaze hardened, and he walked away, not saying another word. Okay, I felt bad about talking to him like that, but he deserved it. Oh hell, why was I feeling bad about talking like that to him? I needed to get my head straight. It was definitely something wrong if I felt bad about speaking the truth to a bad vampire like Damon.

Near afternoon, as I was studying one of my ancestors' grimoires, I got a call from Elena.

"Hey, I'm organizing a slumber party at my place to get Bonnie's mind away from all that witchy stuff. Caroline's coming as well. You up for it?"

"Sure, it'll be a nice change. I'll grab my stuff and be there in an hour. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Some ice cream maybe. You know our favorites, right?"

"Yeah, no worries. I'll see you El," I said as I hung up. This was indeed a happy surprise.

I parked my car outside Elena's house two hours later, with my bag of slumber party essentials, three giant cups of ice cream and my favorite CDs. I could really use this girly time. It had been ages since we had gotten together to have some normal fun. The idea went out the window though when I saw Stefan's car parked on the other side of the road. I made my way to the front door and knocked on the doorbell, trying to balance all the things I had in my hands. Elena opened the door, looking stressed.

"Oh hey, " she said as she moved aside to let me pass.

"Hey. What's up, you look a bit upset," I said as I moved to the kitchen to get the ice cream out of my hands. It was already freezing my arms. Stefan came from the living room, looking just as upset.

"What is going on guys, where's the fire?" I asked both of them as I put all my stuff down.

"The crystal that Bonnie has and Damon wants so much didn't belong to Emily, but to Katherine. Emily had made it for her back then," Elena explained.

"Wait, that crystal that Caroline gave her a while back? It has magic in it, I have felt it, and strong magic at that. But why would Damon want it so much?"

"We don't know, but now that he knows Bonnie is a witch, he has not stopped trying to get it off of her. He even had Caroline to try and get it from her."

"When he tried to yank it off Bonnie's neck on Halloween, it burned him. That means that the talisman has found its rightful owner. Unless Bonnie gives it to him, there is no other way for him to get it," I assured them.

They both stayed silent, trying to process the info.

"I'll try to find out why Damon wants that necklace so much," Stefan said as he got up.

"Can you do that?" Elena asked, concerned.

"I'll give it a try," Stefan shrugged as he opened the door and left. Elena turned around, now more distraught than before.

"Elena, I'm sure Stefan will manage to get something out of Damon. All we need to do is keep Bonnie and that necklace in our sights."

"Bonnie threw the necklace away," Elena said quietly.

"What?"

"While we were returning from school today, she said she couldn't handle being haunted by Emily anymore, so she stopped the car and threw the necklace on a field."

"What about Grams, what will she say when she finds out?"

"Bonnie said that she didn't care about that. Come on, let's get started on the food. Caroline and Bonnie will be here in a few minutes. Let's forget about all that and have some human normal fun, okay?"

I nodded, but my mind was still in the necklace.

Caroline and Bonnie arrived a little while later, and the tension was really high between the girls, and me and Elena trying to balance the awkwardness. At some point though, Elena couldn't take the silence anymore and threw a glance at Caroline. Finally, our blond friend spoke.

"I'm sorry. There, I said it. If you want the ugly-ass necklace, keep it. It's yours," Caroline said as she turned to Bonnie. Bonnie looked at her, with a sheepish face.

"Will you hate me if I told you I threw it away?"

"You threw it away?" Caroline jumped, angry.

"I know it sounds crazy but the necklace was giving me nightmares, I had to get rid of it."

"You could have just given it back to me," Caroline retorted.

"Why? So you could give it back to Damon?" Elena replied at the same tone.

"Screw Damon," Caroline waved her off. "We're doing manicures or what? Who's got their kit?" she said as she went to the living room to get our bags.

"So Elena. How long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last? Is it like a permanent thing?" Caroline asked as she went through her bag.

"I don't know Caroline," Elena replied, tired.

"Why are you such a little liar Bonnie?" Caroline asked as she turned around and faced us.

"What?" Bonnie asked her, surprised.

"Caroline!" I warned her, surprised with Caroline's harsh words. Caroline held up the crystal, surprising us all.

"I'm not lying to you Caroline, I swear," Bonnie assured her.

"It's true Caroline, I saw her throwing it into the field," Elena piped in.

"Then explain it," Caroline pressed on. "Emily," Bonnie replied quietly.

"Who's Emily?" Caroline asked again. "The ghost," Bonnie explained.

"The ghost has a name now?" Caroline asked with disbelief.

"Caroline, please," I tried to reason with her.

"I wonder why she won't leave me alone," Bonnie wondered, more to herself than talking to us.

"What is going on?" Caroline burst out.

"Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time," Caroline complained.

"That's not true," Elena tried to calm her down.

"Yes it is. I can't talk to you. You don't listen," Bonnie accused her.

"That's not true," Caroline defended.

"I'm a witch," Bonnie declared.

"And don't we all know it?" Caroline mocked her. "See? That is what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something. You don't even hear it."

"I listen. When do I not listen?" Caroline replied, offended, though we knew that Bonnie was right.

Bonnie went to the living room, while Caroline, Elena and I remained in the kitchen. Tension was so evident you could cut it with a knife. Caroline looked at us, and both me and Elena looked at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Caroline, try and understand your friend, it might just do the trick," I offered, hoping she would get the hint and apologize to Bonnie. After all, she was one of her best friends.

Caroline walked to the living room to talk to Bonnie. Elena and I stayed at the kitchen, giving them some privacy.

"Do you think they will work it out?" Elena asked me in a whisper.

"I hope so. Caroline has no idea of the supernatural world, so we can't tell her, and Bonnie's witchy nature sounds weird to a normal human like Caroline. I'm sure they will work it out," I assured her.

After a while, we heard Caroline's voice from the living room. "Elena, Rayna, it's alright, you can come here now." I looked at Elena and she went first, me following close behind.

"There's just way too much drama into this room. So, what do you guys wanna do?" Elena offered as she sat across from Caroline and Bonnie.

Before any of us could say anything, Caroline spoke again. "I have an idea. Why don't we have a séance?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Bonnie shook her head immediately.

"Come on, let's summon some spirits," Caroline urged us all. "This Emily chick has some serious explaining to do."

Before we knew it, we were all sitting on the floor of Elena's bedroom, all the lights closed, just a few candles lit in front of us. We all sat cross-legged in a circle, Bonnie, Elena me and Caroline. Caroline ordered us to hold hands.

"What are we doing?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know," Elena replied in a bored tone.

"Be quiet and concentrate," Caroline said.

"Come on guys, let's at least try," I shrugged as I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing as I did whenever I meditated.

"Good. Bonnie, call to her," Caroline said calmly.

"Emily, you there?" Bonnie said.

I opened my eyes and looked at Bonnie. "Seriously Bonnie? 'Emily, you there?'" I looked at her.

"That's all you got?" Caroline asked, disturbed.

"Okay, fine! Jeez," Bonnie shrugged as we all tried to concentrate again. We took another deep breath and waited.

"Emily, I call on you," Bonnie said in a calm voice.

"I know you have a message. I'm here to listen," she finished. Suddenly, the flames of the candles lit up momentarily, scaring us all. We broke hand contact, and all looked at the candles.

"Did that just…" Elena asked, looking at me.

"Yeah, it just happened," Caroline nodded, never taking her eyes from the candles. Bonnie looked scared, really scared. A cold draft came from nowhere, and Caroline shivered.

"It's just the air conditioning," Bonnie shook her head. The candles flared up again, as if to prove her wrong.

"Ask her to show you a sign," Caroline pressed her.

Bonnie shook her head, but Caroline insisted and then asked herself. "Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign."

Nothing happened, but I could feel a presence in the room, a strong presence. Something told me that this was not going to end well tonight.

"See? It's not working," Bonnie said.

Suddenly, the windows flew open, scaring us all to hell.

"I can't, I'm done," Bonnie declared as she got up and ripped the necklace from her neck. It landed right in front of the candles, and they went out, plunging the room in almost total darkness.

"Get the light," Bonnie said, frightened, "please get the light on!"

"Hold on, I got it," Elena assured her as she got up and turned the lights on.

As soon as she did, I looked down to the floor, and there was no necklace.

"You guys, the necklace, it's gone," I said, and they all looked down at Bonnie's feet to see the same thing. The necklace was nowhere in sight.

Bonnie started searching for it on the ground, and I tried to help her. Such an important talisman cannot be lost so easily.

"Okay Caroline, you made a point, and I get it. Now give it back," Elena said as she looked to our blond friend.

"What?" Caroline shook her head, folding her arms.

"Well, I didn't take it," she continued. Something caught my eye in the hallway, and apparently, Elena saw it too.

"What? What happened?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing," Elena tried to reason with her.

"Jeremy, are you home?" Elena called out as she left the room to go check out the hallway.

"This turns out to be a really weird night," I shook my head as I went to look out the window. It felt really weird, this whole necklace thing.

"Guys?" Bonnie said as she walked towards Elena's bathroom. Elena came back, and we all watched Bonnie as she walked in the bathroom. Bonnie bent down and picked up the necklace that was lying on the bathroom mat.

As soon as she did though, the door slammed closed, trapping her inside. Bonnie started panicking, and called for us to open the door.

"Bonnie, are you alright?" Elena asked as she tried to open the door.

Caroline went to the other door, while Elena and I tried to open the first one. We banged and banged, trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge. The lights started going on and off, and Bonnie started screaming. The presence was more obvious than ever, and it was a strong magical presence, of that I was sure.

We all panicked and decided to kick the door in, but still nothing. Caroline banged on the door, freaking out as Bonnie's screams got worse. Elena came back, trying to help with our efforts. All of a sudden, the lights stopped flickering and the door opened slowly. We froze, staring as the door gave way and we spotted Bonnie in the middle of the bathroom, unharmed, holding her eyes shut, the necklace on her neck.

"What happened?" Elena asked.

"Are you okay?" I added. Bonnie took a few deep breaths and looked at us.

"I'm fine." Though she appeared unharmed, something was bugging me. Something was wrong.

"Unbelievable. You were totally faking it," Caroline accused our friend.

"Caroline, come on," Elena tried to reason with her.

"You scared the hell out of me," Caroline glared at Bonnie before walking away, rubbing her arms to shake off the weird feeling.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked as she looked at our friend.

"I'm fine," she assured us. "Everything's fine."

We all went to the hallway, and Bonnie seemed in a bit of a hurry.

"I can't believe I fell for it," Caroline whined as she followed Bonnie to the head of the stairs.

"Are you okay?" I asked Bonnie.

"I must go," she replied, and her tone was not her usual.

"She's leaving, I'm leaving," Caroline declared.

"You guys can't leave," Elena said as she followed us.

"I can," Caroline replied. "I've had enough fake witch stuff for one night."

Bonnie stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look at us. "Thank you for having me," she said in the same calm and cold tone. "I'll take it from here."

"Where are you going?" Elena asked her.

"Back to where it all began," Bonnie replied. She went down the stairs fast, and I hurried to the head.

"Bonnie, Bonnie!" Elena called out to her as she went down the stairs.

"Emily," I called, and Bonnie turned around and looked at me with eyes as cold as her tone. These were most definitely not my friend's eyes. "I won't let him have it, it must be destroyed."

"Wait!" I called as I hurried down the stairs, but Bonnie was faster. Elena followed me, and got to the door first, but it wouldn't budge.

"What's happening?" Caroline asked as she came down the stairs.

"I don't know, the door, it's not-" Elena said just as the door opened suddenly, and Jeremy came in. We all screamed in surprise, scaring him.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed.

"I'm outta here," Caroline said as she left, and Jeremy just shook his head and walked in the house, ignoring us.

"I'm gonna follow her, you call Stefan and let him know," I ordered Elena before I ran to the direction of the woods. I had no idea where she was heading, so I had to use my powers to track her down.

I sensed a faint trace of magic to my far right, so I ran to that direction.

The trace got stronger as I ran, and I knew that I could reach her soon, but what then? I had no idea if I could take on a witch as powerful as Emily was, without hurting Bonnie in the process.

Unfortunately, when I got to the site, Bonnie wasn't alone. Stefan and Damon were there, and Stefan was trying to get Damon down from a tree.

"What the hell happened?" I asked as I reached them.

"It hurts," Damon groaned as he landed on the ground. "This is why I feed on people."

"Stefan," Bonnie/Emily said in the same cold voice.

"Hello Emily," Stefan greeted her.

"These people don't deserve this. They should never have to know such evil," she stated as she continued drawing something on the ground with a huge stick.

"What do you mean evil?" Stefan questioned her.

"Emily, I swear to God I'll make you regret this," Damon said as he tried to stand up. His wound was quite large, but him being a vampire didn't really affect him.

"I won't let you unleash them into this world," Bonnie/Emily said as she looked as the Salvatores.

"Them?" Stefan muttered as he looked back to his brother. "What part of the story did you leave out Damon?"

"What does it matter?" Damon replied.

"Apparently, it matters greatly to her. Emily, please tell us what you did," I asked, hoping this would lead to something.

"To save her, I had to save them," Bonnie/Emily replied as she looked at me.

"Them? You saved everyone in the church?" Stefan gasped in horror.

"With one, comes all," Bonnie confirmed.

"I don't care about them, I just want Katherine," Damon piped in. It took me a second to connect the dots.

"Katherine is in the old Fell's church along with God knows how many vampires?" I looked at Stefan, who nodded, to my extreme horror.

"I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that comes out of your mouth. This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge," Stefan growled at Damon as he grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket.

"The two aren't mutually exclusive," Damon replied.

"Damon, you can't do this," Stefan shook his head.

"Why not?" Damon growled as he pushed his brother back.

"They killed 27 people, and called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get."

"27 vampires Damon, they were vampires. You can't just bring them back."

"He's right Damon. 27 vampires loose in Mystic Falls? It's gonna be a massacre, and nobody in town deserves this," I agreed. This was going to be one ugly fight if we let them loose.

"This town deserves this," Damon hissed as he glared at me.

"Why? For the crimes that our ancestors did, we are to be held responsible? Besides, if they killed so many vampires, I'm sure there was a good reason," I retorted, glaring at him as well.

"She's right Damon. You're blaming innocent people for something that happened 145 years ago," Stefan agreed with me.

"There is nothing innocent about these people," Damon shook his head.

"And don't think for a second that this won't happen again. They already know too much, and they'll burn your little grand-witch and you Rayna right next to us when they find out, trust me."

"Things are different now," Bonnie/Emily simply answered.

"She's right. People are not that superstitious anymore. They are afraid of your kind, but if you stay off the radar things can work. However, bringing 27 bloodthirsty vampires back to life, who will probably want to tear this town apart in revenge is something I will not allow to happen," I stood my ground.

Bonnie/Emily finished the drawing and I realized it was humongous pentagram on the ground.

"Don't do this," Damon pleaded with her.

"I can't free them," Bonnie/Emily shook her head. "I won't. Incendia!"

Suddenly, the pentagram lit in flames, separating us from her as she stood at the center.

"No! No, please," Damon pleaded, genuine sorrow evident on his face. He actually looked scared. For a moment, I felt sorry for him.

"Bonnie!" Elena was heard as she ran to our direction. Before she could come too close though, Stefan stopped her.

"No!" Damon called out as Bonnie/Emily threw the necklace in the air.

The next moment it exploded like a firework, and I felt the surge of the power that was released in the air. Bonnie/Emily closed her eyes and lowered her head, and the flames died out instantly.

Bonnie opened her eyes again and looked around, confused. I heard a growl from beside me and, before I could register his actions, Damon had flashed onto Bonnie, biting her neck harshly. Bonnie screamed as Damon sank his teeth deeper. Stefan flashed to him and threw him off of her. Damon tried to attack again, but I was quicker. I used my powers and threw him away, standing before Bonnie, glaring furiously at him.

"You try that again and I'm gonna turn you into firewood," I growled as Elena came closer.

Stefan knelt on the ground, listening for Bonnie's heartbeat.

"She's alive, but barely," he said as he tore into his wrist. "I can save her."

"Then do it," I growled, never taking my eyes off Damon. His vampire features hadn't left, and I knew my eyes were black as night. I felt my power itching to be used on him, but I held my ground. Bonnie was more important than him.

Stefan fed Bonnie his blood. "Her neck, it's healing," Elena said, gasping.

Damon retracted his fangs, breathing heavily. His eyes were actually watered, looking down as he left. He almost looked sad, but I was beyond furious with him. I turned to Bonnie, who seemed scared to death.

"I'll take her to the car. Where did you park it El?" I asked my friend, getting her out of her trance.

"I'll help you," she nodded as Stefan followed Damon. At this point, I didn't really care if he would kill him. He had tried to kill one of my best friends over something ridiculous. I wasn't going to hold Stefan back this time.

We helped Bonnie to get up and led her slowly towards the car. As soon as we reached the car, she started asking questions. "I don't understand guys, what happened to me? He attacked me, and…his face was like…" Bonnie trailed off, looking scared to death.

"How do you feel, are you okay?" Elena asked as she checked her for any signs of trauma.

"I'm fine. It's just his blood. I don't-" she stopped, looking frightened as Stefan approached us slowly.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Stefan assured her.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked, terror in her voice. Elena looked at Stefan, and I nudged her.

"Go, I'll explain everything to Bonnie." Elena looked at Bonnie one more time, and then turned to go towards Stefan.

"Wait, what if he-" Bonnie worried, but I rubbed her shoulder to calm her down.

"It's okay Bonnie, he's not going to hurt her; he's not going to hurt anyone of us. Come on, let me walk you home and I'll explain everything."

I walked Bonnie to her house after we went by Elena's place to pick up our things. Jeremy tried to ask, but I told him it was a girl thing, so he backed off without any further questions. Trust boys to get scared about girl things.

We stayed up all night, talking about everything that I kept from her. She was terrified at first, even angry at me, but afterwards she just collapsed, crying in my arms. I was not any better, given the fact that I just witnessed the almost death of my witchy sister. I had no idea what was going on with Elena and Stefan, or where Damon had gone off to, but I had no energy to investigate.


	12. Career fair night

_**I'm so so sorry I'm so late with this chapter, but God decided to rain so much in my region, all of internet went down for several days. I just thank the technicians for getting it back up.**_

* * *

November 7th

Rayna POV

I woke up, feeling kinda stiff after falling asleep hugged onto Bonnie on her bed. "How do you feel?" I asked her as I stretched to shake off the sleep.

"A bit disoriented, confused, I have a light headache, but otherwise I'm fine. You?"

"A bit sad, but also happy that you are okay. Come on, let's go make some breakfast and see what we can do about that headache of yours."

"You are always a ray of sunshine Rayna," Bonnie smiled as she got up.

While she was in the bathroom, I went downstairs to make some breakfast. As I stirred the mixture for the pancakes, my phone started ringing. It was my dad. "Hey dad, what's up?"

"Rayna, where are you?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"At Bonnie's. We decided to move the slumber party here. Why, what's going on?"

"There's been another attack. A young woman, bled dry, close to the woods at Elena's place. You girls stayed inside, right?"

"Yeah. Who was the victim?" I asked, sighing. Damon would never change. I was sure he was the culprit for this.

"A neighbor of Elena's, Daphne Meyer. The sheriff is going to label this as another animal attack, but it seems we have another vampire in town."

"Okay, I'll see you after school today, so we can talk about this."

I hung up, just as I heard Bonnie coming down the stairs. "Something smells nice," she exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, situation calls for a special breakfast," I muttered as I flipped the pancakes on the pan. "What happened?" Bonnie asked, noticing my distress.

"There's been another attack last night, close to Elena's place. I think I have to talk to Stefan and Damon after school."

We finished our breakfast and drove to school, hoping to find Elena and asked if she knew about the attack. We found her, sitting by her car, looking sadder than ever.

"El, what's wrong? You heard about that attack close to your place?" Bonnie asked our friend as we closed in on her.

"What?" she looked up at us, surprised.

"My dad called me this morning and told me about it. He was concerned because the attack was close to your place, where we were supposed to be sleeping," I informed her. "A young woman named Daphne Meyer was found, bled dry."

"Maybe Damon went on a rampage last night after the incident," Elena suggested.

"That is why I'm going by the Boarding house after school today, to clear that up," I informed her.

"You probably won't find them," Elena said as she got up and headed towards the buildings.

"Why?" I asked as Bonnie and I caught up with her.

"Stefan told me last night that he was going to leave, so I could be safe. For all I know, he's already gone."

"Nevertheless, I'm gonna try, just in case," I replied. I had to be sure.

We went inside, remaining quiet, when a sight I never expected to see caught my eye. Matt and Caroline were walking down the hall together, talking and laughing.

"Now this is something new," I commented, getting the girls' attention. Elena and Bonnie stared at our two friends chatting, and Elena seemed surprised.

"They have been hanging out for a while," Bonnie informed us.

"That's weird," Elena commented.

"Actually, not so much. Matt is a normal guy, just what Caroline needs right now," I shrugged, still watching them. "Rayna's right. Matt is definitely better than Damon."

That caught Elena's attention and she turned to our witchy friend. "By the way, how are you handling this whole thing?"

"I'm still freaked out, but I'm also grateful, to Stefan at least," Bonnie shrugged. "Do you think he is still in town? I want to thank him."

"I have no idea. He probably already left," Elena sighed heavily.

"Come on, he wouldn't leave without saying goodbye," I tried to comfort her, but to no avail.

"It's probably for the best you know, him leaving," Bonnie cut in, making us both turn to look at her, surprised. "I mean, what sort of future would the two of you have? After a few years, he would have to leave anyway, otherwise people would notice he was not getting any older."

Elena was about to reply, but a banner that hung above us fell at that precise moment, surprising us. "Did you guys…?" Elena asked, suggesting we had used our powers to do that.

"No," I shook my head, and so did Bonnie.

I looked at the banner, it wrote 'The promise of your future', reminding us of the Career Fair that was going on tonight at the school.

Which reminded me, I would have to remind my dad to come. Elena sighed and turned around to go to class without another word. I looked at Bonnie, but she had the same confused expression I had. I promised to meet up with her at lunch and turned to go to Math. Ethan caught up with me halfway, scaring me as he nudged me.

"Jeez Ethan, is your everyday goal to scare me to death?" I gasped as I noticed who my attacker was.

"It's just nice to know I can scare you," he smiled teasingly.

I chuckled, grateful for the light change in my everyday supernatural life. "I think I'll have to come up with something similar to get back at you," I said, thinking about it.

"I'll be happy to see you try," he challenged me.

"Hang on to your knickers," I wiggled my eyebrows as we walked to class together.

After classes were over, Elena and I walked out of the building when Elena stopped dead in her tracks, staring at something with surprise. I followed her gaze and spotted Stefan sitting on a bench, looking straight at us.

"You should go talk to him," I urged her, and she looked at me for a moment before following my advice. I waved at Stefan and continued my way to my car. I had to talk to my father in order to see what the council knew, and visit the Boarding House to see if Damon knew anything more.

As I opened the door of my house, I was greeted by an anxious dad that hugged me tightly before I even had the chance to close the door.

"Sweetie, I was so worried about you," he said as he squeezed me in his embrace.

"Dad, I cannot breathe," I said, and thankfully enough, he released me.

"Sorry, I was just so worried. What happened, how come you decided to move the slumber party?"

"We were a bit loud, and Jeremy complained, so we moved to Bonnie's place, since her dad is out of town again. A good thing really, since the attack took place so close to Elena's place. What does the council know?"

"The usual. One of the patrols found the body early this morning, completely drained of blood. Her neck was torn from one side to the other, so the wild animal story stands, but I'm not sure how long we can keep the pretenses."

"Oh God, I thought this whole nightmare was over the night we killed that guy."

"It seems that guy had a mate, or had turned someone else before we killed him. Now we have to find him before someone else dies. In the meantime, I must ask you not to go out at night."

"What about the Career Fair tonight at the school?"

"Oh right, I had forgotten about that. Well, we'll have to go, but we'll have to be extra careful, okay?"

"Sure dad," I nodded as I went to my room to change clothes.

As night fell, I got ready to go to the Career Fair. My dad had to go by the Sheriff first to discuss a few things, but he would meet me at the school. He made vervain tea for both of us before he left but also gave me a vampire mace, with vervain extract in it. I had chosen a dark denim skirt that went a little over the knee with a purple silk sleeveless blouse. I just loved the sensation silk gave me whenever I wore it. I put on my black jacket over it and black sandals completed my attire. I drove slowly, thinking about what would happen if the vampire decided to come by the fair tonight. A lot of the deputies would be patrolling around the school and the sheriff would be in there along with the mayor and a few others from the council, but that somehow didn't make me feel safe. I would have to be on my guard, just in case. I arrived at the school just as dad was parking his car on the lot. We both got out and my dad stopped to talk to me.

"Okay, now this time it is important that you do not interfere with the vampire hunt. On the situation in Mystic Grill, you almost got yourself killed. If that vampire had attacked you-"

"Dad, if I hadn't screamed, that thing would have killed the sheriff. At least Damon Salvatore made it just in time to stake the thing and rid us of his evil. This time though, I promise not to interfere. I'll leave it to the deputies this time."

"Good. Now come on, let's see what are your choices for your future," he smiled as we walked up the stairs.

Inside, the fair was in full swing. I spotted the mayor and the sheriff standing in one of the corners, talking quietly to each other. My dad spotted them and left me to go to them. I decided to go find someone to talk about this. I located Stefan by one of the windows, watching Elena from afar.

"Hey," I whispered, getting his attention. He turned to look at me, and I could see the sadness in his eyes.

"Hello," he simply replied, his eyes never leaving Elena.

"I assume you know that there has been a new vampire attack."

"Yeah, and before you ask, it wasn't Damon, at least according to him."

"Can we trust him to be truthful?"

"I think so. Even he wouldn't be stupid enough to expose us like this."

"Which means that the vampire we killed on your birthday had probably turned someone or the one that turned him is back to act their revenge on us."

He watched as Elena went in one of the classrooms, and I nudged him. "Go talk to her, she needs it."

He looked at me one last time and walked over to the classroom. I sighed, feeling the awkwardness in the air.

"Why are you here all alone?" a voice said from behind me.

"My dad wanted to talk to a few friends, so I decided to go for a walk around on my own. Wanna go check the stalls, see what career choices we can get?" I asked Vicki, who stood dressed in a lovely dark blue dress that showed off her eyes.

"Sure, though I think the music and dancing stall will be the only one I care about," she shrugged.

"Speaking of dancing, where is Andy? He rarely leaves you alone."

"He and Ethan have gone to see the news coverage stall. I think Ethan might want to become a reporter."

"Well, it is a very interesting career choice, with plenty of choices and opportunities."

"Have you decided what your career choice would be?"

"I don't know. I have had a few thoughts about it, but I'm not sure. I can at least rule out the physics and math professions. I have no talent in those subjects."

"You and me both. So, which subjects are you interested in?"

"I don't know, maybe chemistry, biology, something like that. I like plants a lot, and I have quite some knowledge on their abilities when it comes to healing."

"Really?" Vicki raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I haven't had an aspirin or a painkiller since I was five. It's been all herbal medicines ever since and I have to tell you, it's been really effective." This was practically half part of the truth, but I couldn't exactly tell her the real reason behind my herbal expertise.

"You do realize you sound like a tree hugger right now, right?" Vicki snorted.

"I know, but it actually works. Besides, the whole procedure to make the pastes or the teas is kinda like cooking, and I am a big fan of that as well, so this might be another choice."

"I do agree sweetie, your cooking is delightful," my dad said as he came beside us.

"Hello Mr. Silverstone," Vicki greeted my dad.

"Hello Vicki. How are you faring?"

"Good, I guess. I am a bit nervous about this whole career thing, but I will make it through."

"Good for you. Now Rayna, which stall do you want to begin with?"

"The biology one I think. I want to see what opportunities that path has."

"I'll leave you guys to it, we'll talk later okay?" Vicki said as she walked away to one of the other classrooms.

"Sure thing Vick," I nodded.

My dad and I were in the biology department when I noticed that Stefan was walking out of the school, looking rather upset.

"Dad, I'm gonna go find Elena, she wanted to talk to me, okay? I'll be right back."

"Sure honey, just make sure you are extra careful okay? And I forgot to tell you I will have to leave for Washington after this. My publisher asked me to see him in the morning, and you know I hate driving early in the morning. Think you can take care of yourself for a couple of days?"

"Sure dad, you know I can. Just be careful, okay?" I nodded as I followed Stefan out.

He stood a few feet away from the door, talking to his cellphone in hushed tones. Elena came out as well, looking around for someone.

"What's up?" she asked me, but I just shrugged.

"I have no idea, but I have the feeling it's not good."

We both headed to where Stefan stood, and he hung up the phone before he turned to look at us.

"Something you'd like to share?" Elena asked him as she folded her arms over her chest, a stern look on her pretty face.

"We discovered who the new vampire is. Damon tried to stop him, but he shot him with wooden bullets and escaped. Damon's really pissed off, but he's okay."

"It's Logan Fell, isn't it?" Elena asked, scared.

"What?" I gasped, feeling the horror wash over me. "That's impossible, he's dead, I saw it happen," I shook my head.

"We just saw him inside, and Jenna told me that he tried to get her to invite him in, but thankfully enough she was angry at him so she closed the door on him. But how did you know he was dead?" Elena turned at me.

"He was the one that shot me almost 2 months ago when we killed the newborn that was trying to get to Vicki."

"The night I first saw you using your powers, right?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. Who turned him? I mean, I know Damon killed him because he shot Stefan, but he must have had vampire blood in his system to turn into a vampire."

"Nobody knows. Damon asked him, so did I, but he wouldn't say. Either he doesn't want to tell us or he really doesn't know," Stefan piped in.

"In any way, we have to get rid of him. He is new to this, wild and reckless. He might try something," I nodded.

"Have you seen him recently?" Stefan asked Elena.

"Yeah, about ten minutes ago when he tried to talk to Jenna. I should go to her, she might have seen him," Elena suggested.

"Let's go then," I nodded as we turned and made our way back into the building, Stefan close behind us.

We searched through the entire floor, but there were so many people, it was impossible to search for Logan and be inconspicuous about it.

"This isn't going to work," I whispered as I stopped next to a corner. "We have to split up, we'll cover more ground that way. I'll go search the outside, you continue searching in here."

"Rayna, he might attack you if he sees you're alone," Elena said, worried.

"Plus, he will be angry with you for the night you helped us and let him die," Stefan added.

"I still have my powers to protect me. You two can take care of each other, you have to stay together. I'll let you know the moment I find him," I finished as I made my way to the nearest exit.

Before I could make it out however, I heard someone calling my name. "Hey, Rayna!" I turned around and spotted Jeremy waving at me.

"Hey Jer, what's up?" I asked him, noticing he was a bit weird.

"I almost just had a fight with Tyler."

"Over Vicki again?"

"No, this is much weirder. I was walking by the arts stall when I saw Tyler staring at a few of the drawings that were on display."

"Him, looking at art? That is unusual."

"My thoughts exactly, so I teased him about it, and he stormed off, furious."

"Something to be expected of him," I shrugged.

"What was unexpected though was that the drawing that he was looking at was his own."

"Tyler draws? I didn't know he had artistic tendencies."

"Those were my thoughts as well. I tried to approach him, you know, since we actually share that common interest, try and bond over that, but he got all aggressive and almost attacked me before Mr. Saltzman and his dad broke us off. But that is not the weirdest part."

"Then what is?"

"His dad took us outside, supposedly to talk to us, but he actually ordered us to fight it out."

"Oh my God!" I gasped, surprised. I could never imagine Mayor Lockwood was into violence.

"Anyway, both me and Tyler refused to fight each other, Tyler's dad pushed him onto me, Mr. Saltzman came and broke the fight before we got to it, and even threatened the mayor!"

"Whoa, he threatened Mr. Lockwood? How?"

"The mayor tried to get him to leave using his position and even threatening him that he would take his job away, but Mr. Saltzman didn't even flinch."

"That must have been nice to watch," I smiled.

"It was. Tyler was flabbergasted as much as I was and left a while later. I was wondering if you have seen him, I wanted to apologize to him about my behavior. I think I have misjudged him."

"No, I haven't seen him, but you know what, I'll help you find him. You'll probably need a little female help. Too much testosterone can lead to another fight, and I doubt you'd want that."

"No, definitely not," Jeremy shook his head as we made our way around the school.

"There he is," Jeremy informed me as he looked outside a window. Truly enough, Tyler was sitting on one of the benches beside the gym.

"Come on, let's go talk to him," I motioned towards the nearest door.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Jeremy said as I caught sight of someone trying to hide in the shadows near the bleachers. My thoughts went straight to Logan. What if he had managed to trap yet another victim?

"Jer, you go talk to him, I have to go check something," I said as I walked towards the bleachers.

"Okay," Jeremy said faintly as I walked towards my goal.

I moved slowly, letting my magic come to the surface, in case I needed it. Nothing could prepare me for the sight I came across though as soon as turned around the corner. Ethan and Amber Fell were kissing and groping each other like crazy! I was so shocked, I couldn't even yell at them, so instead I just walked away quickly. I ran back to the school, and I managed to stay calm and not cry. I would have to save that for later, now I had more important things to care about, like finding that vampire and taking out my anger out on him. I found Matt sitting on a bench, looking troubled.

"Hey Matt, what's up?"

"Oh hey," he greeted me. "Nothing much. I think I have a crush on Caroline, Elena just left with Stefan, Vicki is definitely in love with Andy, the usual drama of a teenager."

"Whoa, whoa, one at a time. I already know about Vicki, but you, you have a crush on Caroline?"

"Yeah. After I drove her home during that party in the Grill and we got to know each other better, she is actually a very nice girl."

"And let me guess. You cannot go in a relationship with her because you are still hung up on Elena and you are jealous she prefers Stefan, right?"

"No. I'm just afraid that, if I go in a relationship with Caroline, I might realize that I have no feelings for her, and I don't wanna hurt her," he sighed.

"Matt, you should do it. At least give it a try, otherwise you will look back and wonder if it would have worked if you had tried it."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. Life is about trying new things, and I have the feeling that you and Caroline will match quite good." He smiled a really nice smile.

"You are a really good advisor Rayna. Thanks," he hugged me and I returned the embrace before I let him go find Caroline.

As soon as he was away, I thought about what he had said. Elena and Stefan had left? I pulled out my phone and called Elena's cell.

"Hey Ray, what's up?" she asked, obviously strained.

"You tell me. Matt told me you guys left from the school."

"Yeah. Damon found Logan as he was about to kidnap Caroline, but both him and Stefan stopped him. Stefan took Caroline home and Damon is dealing with Logan right now. He won't be bothering us anymore."

"Oh, okay. I'll call it a night then. Goodnight El."

"Goodnight Ray." I hung up the phone and I barely put it in my pocket before it rang.

"Hey dad, what's up?" "I'm on the road honey, on my way to Washington. I left some money for you on the fridge. I'll be back in a day or two, okay?"

"Sure dad. Have fun and be careful, okay?"

"You too honey."

I hung up again and made my way towards my car. I really needed to go home and crawl under my covers. At least I had no school tomorrow, so I had a whole day to sulk and reassemble my broken heart. As I drove home, the image of Ethan, a guy I had trusted, groping and kissing his ex came to my mind and the tears that I held back before were now flowing freely down my cheeks. I felt so betrayed, so lost. I had finally decided to bring my walls down and trust a boy with my heart, and he just ran back to his ex. I drove down an empty old road, trying to calm myself down before I took my anger out to the crystal glasses at home.

I was so preoccupied with my breathing that I barely noticed the human figure that stood unmoving in the middle of the road. I hit the breaks hard, trying to avoid a hit, but unfortunately I hit the person with my windshield. I lost complete control of my car and I felt horrified as it flipped and landed upside down in the middle of the road. I was barely conscious from the hit when I noticed the dark figure standing up and walking to my door. Whoever that was, it was not human.

The figure stopped in front of me and I screamed, terrified at what he might do to me now that I couldn't defend myself. In a flash though, the figure vanished and another, just as dark figure was in his spot. This one however, made no move towards me. The words that came from his mouth made me groan. "Hello there," Damon said, and even I was moments away from fainting, I could hear the smirk on his voice.

Damon POV

Where the hell was that idiot? I had been standing here for over an hour for Logan to come and tell me the other way to open that tomb. If the moron had just said that to get away, I would make sure hell would seem like heaven after I was done with him. My ringtone broke the silence of the forest, almost startling me. It wasn't Logan though, it was the sheriff. "Hello?"

"I cannot thank you enough. I don't know how you did it, but I'm so grateful."

"Uh, not following," I replied, confused.

"We just found Logan's body, outside a warehouse that belonged to his family. He was hoarding bodies, innocent victims Damon. This town owes you so much."

She quickly hung up on me, and I was left staring at my phone, trying to comprehend what she had just told me. The only person who knew an alternative way to open that tomb was now dead, leaving me without a plan to get Katherine out of there. Who could have had the courage to kill a vampire? I didn't do it, and neither did Stefan. He was at home with Elena, doing God knows what. I tried not to ponder too much over it, the thought too painful to endure for long. The Bennett witches were the next candidates, but Bonnie was still too young to use her powers properly, and Sheila was at her house. Her scent was nowhere around town, so that left me with one person.

Rayna Silverstone.

She knew about Logan, she had the power and the incentive to kill him, and she was at the school tonight. I stormed off towards her house, anger boiling inside me. Since she was a witch and had killed the only person who knew how to get inside that tomb, she would find a way to open it herself, or everyone she knew would suffer because of her stupidity, starting with her flimsy boyfriend and ending with her beloved father. I flashed through the forest, pushing myself to reach her place as soon as possible. I was so focused on my task that I barely heard the screeching tires and the loud bang that came from the road close by. After that came the tell tale sound of a car flipping on the road.

Normally, I wouldn't even stop to care about some human dieing on a car accident, but my curiosity got the best of me and I changed course to find the accident site. Maybe I could take out my anger on whoever had the rotten luck of having an accident while I was around. As I reached the edges of the forest, the sight before me was the most unexpected I had yet seen. Even though it was dark, I could tell that the car that stood on the middle of the road, flipped upside down was Rayna's car, so that meant I had no reason to go to her house. She was totally at my mercy.

While I planned how to approach her, I spotted a male figure rising from the road a few feet away and making his way towards the wrecked car. I could sense that, whoever the guy was, he was not human. He had probably made her crash her car so he could feed on her. Well, as nice as the plan seemed, I couldn't let him do that. I still needed that witch. I took a few steps forward, making myself known to him and he panicked, flashing away in a blink. I ran to the driver's side, where Rayna was screaming when she saw the guy about to attack her and looked inside the cabin. At least she had remembered to put on her seatbelt. She would have been a lot worse if not for that.

"Hello there," I smirked at her, quite amused by her current state.

"Damon, what the hell are you doing here?" she hissed as she fumbled with her seatbelt.

"Thinking about helping you, though if you continue behaving like this, I will have to reconsider my generous nature."

"I don't need your help so you can go on and leave me alone," she growled trying to glare at me.

"Okay, if that's what you want," I shrugged and got up from my crouching position, ready to leave.

She didn't even bother to stop me. Even in her weakened state, she refused to ask for my help. I would never admit it to her, but I admired her independent personality and the fire that burned inside her. I sighed, irritated with her. Still, I needed her, so I turned around and approached her again.

"Come on Ms. Independent, let's see what we can do to get you out of there." I looked at her, while she ignored me and still tried to get out of the car by herself. "Okay, I need you to hold on to the roof of the car while I unbuckle you. Can you do that for me?"

She huffed, but complied, to my extreme relief. I set her free from the seatbelt and grabbed her before she could crash on the roof of her car. I pulled her out, letting her get on her feet and regain her balance.

"I said I don't need your help," she tried to push me away, but her attempt was futile to say the least. She wavered a bit, trying to hold steady but I knew she was in a bad condition. I barely got to her before she collapsed on the road.

"Whoa, steady there sweetheart," I whispered as I held her from falling.

"Get away from me Damon, I told you before, I don't need your help," she tried to push me away again, but her strength was leaving her quickly.

'She must have a concussion,' I thought as I held her face to mine.

"Rayna, look at me. I need you to focus on me. Stay awake, okay?" I ordered her. She looked at me with those dark brown eyes of hers, and I noticed that they were getting cloudy quickly.

"He betrayed me, like they all do," she mumbled before she collapsed in my arms, unconscious.

"Great," I muttered as I picked her up in my arms.

I had to get her to her house to rest. But how was I supposed to go inside when her father was away and she was unconscious? I could feed her my blood, but she would be furious when she woke up. I needed her to be in relatively good terms with me so she could open that tomb. I wondered if my other witchy friend could do something to help her. She wasn't that far. I could drive to her and ask her if she knew any other ways to open that tomb. Plus, I could use the company during the trip. She would be angry and grumpy when she woke up, but she would have no choice but to stay with me. I smirked, making my way towards my car. We had a long way to go.

* * *

So here you go! I'm guessing you already know where they are going, and I actually enjoyed writing this part.

Reviews are always welcome!


	13. Road trip to Georgia

**_Hello again!_**

**_I am really happy with the reviews I'm getting about this story. I was so anxious about it, since it's my first fanfiction, but I really appreciate how much you like my version of the story._**

**_Okay, no more talking, on with the story!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs._**

**_Luke: Tom Welling_**

**_Colin: Stephen Dorff (think Deacon Frost in Blade)_**

* * *

November 8th

Rayna POV

I slowly regained my consciousness as I felt a slight rumbling beneath me, like I was lying on a machine that was operating. I realized it was the engine of a car running. Impossible. Was I still in my car? I clearly remembered that I had crashed my car because of that idiot that stood in the middle of the road. Then, where was I? I cracked an eye open only to close it right away, to avoid the glaring of the sun. I did notice one thing though. The car I lay in was in motion, moving across a field with bright green grass.

I tried to move, only to groan at the protest of my muscles. Sleeping in a car was really back for your back, and I was paying dearly for it.

"Morning sleepyhead," a painfully familiar voice said from beside me. I turned sharply to the direction that the voice had come from, only to hear a really bad crack on my neck, followed by a dull throbbing. "Ouch! Damon, what the hell am I doing in your car?"

"And I'm glad to see you too. Sleep well?" he smiled teasingly as he glanced at me.

"Cut the crap Damon, where the hell are we?"

"On our way to see a friend of mine, somewhere in Georgia."

I felt my stomach clench at the sound of that. "Yeah, very funny, now can you please tell me where on earth are we?"

"That is the real answer my dear, I'm not lying to you."

"Damon, my head hurts, my back complains from sleeping in here and the last thing I need right now is you and your stupid jokes. Now where are we?"

"In my car, somewhere in Georgia. I'm not lying to you."

"For goodness' sake, this cannot be happening. What possessed you to do this?"

"I liked you better when you were asleep," he muttered.

"Stop the car," I hissed, angrier than ever. Damon didn't even budge.

"Damon, if you don't stop the car this instant, I will light you on fire and turn you to a crispy critter."

He turned to look at me and the glared I had directed at him must have made him realize that I wasn't kidding, so he slowed the car down and eventually pulled over on the roadside.

As soon as the car stopped, I opened the door and got out. A really bad idea, since my legs could barely support me. My entire body ached, and my head was throbbing. Damon was out of his seat and beside me in an instant, holding me so that I wouldn't fall.

"I don't need your help," I tried to push him off of me.

"Easy there witchy, you got banged up real good last night, you'd better take it easy at first. No need to rush into things."

"Last night?" I looked at him. I tried to recall what had happened last night, and I cringed when I remembered. "Oh, my poor baby," I whined as I thought about my poor car, lying in pieces on the road.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked, confused.

"My car, my beloved beauty is now lying in pieces on a road somewhere in Mystic Falls. Oh, it hurts just to think about it. If I ever get my hands on that son of a bitch that made me crash my baby, death will seem like a novelty after I'm done with him."

"Who was that anyway, did you know him?"

"No, he didn't seem familiar to me, but that's the least of our problems right now. There is no doubt that he was a vampire, and that's trouble on its own."

"Speaking of which, nice save last night with Logan," Damon glared at me. Now this was beyond confusing.

"What are you talking about? I thought you had taken care of him."

"Don't play dumb with me. The sheriff found his body last night, staked outside an old warehouse. Stefan was with Elena, your little witchy friend and her grandmother have no experience in killing vampires, and I definitely didn't do it, which leaves us with you."

"The last I heard of him, was when I called Elena to find out why she and Stefan had left from the school, and they told me that you had taken care of him."

"I let him go," Damon stated, making me furious.

"You what?" I screeched.

"He said he had another way to get inside the tomb, and now he's dead, and I have no way of getting in there. Back to square one," Damon growled back at me, angry. I stopped and tried to think over what he had just told me.

"How could he know how to get in the tomb and what awaits in there?"

"Probably through his maker. He remembered who turned him or he found his maker and talked to him about it."

"Whoever his maker is, they must have some very important reason to get inside that tomb, just like you," I assessed.

"Someone they care about," Damon nodded. "But we cannot be sure about that until we get the tomb open, which brings me to the reason we are here in Georgia. Get back in the car, we have a bit of a road to drive before we reach our destination."

"And where exactly is that?" I asked him, not budging from my spot.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Damon smirked as a cellphone started ringing. I recognized my ringtone coming from his jacket pocket and surely enough, he pulled it from his left pocket and looked at the caller ID. "It's your boyfriend," he smirked at me, making me frown.

"Leave it, I don't want to talk to him," I muttered, looking away as I remembered what I had seen last night behind the bleachers.

"I've got a better idea," he winked at me before he answered the phone himself. "Rayna's phone," he said in a cheery voice. "No, she is not available right now, but I will tell her you called. Judging by the glare she is giving me right now, you are in a heap of trouble my friend," Damon said teasingly.

I reached and grabbed the phone from his hand pushing it against my ear while I kept him at bay. "What do you want Ethan?" I growled at the phone, my anger now reaching volcanic levels.

'Who was that? What the hell are you doing with him Rayna, this early in the morning? Did he spend the night at your place?' Ethan asked accusingly.

"I'm out on a nice walk with my friend Damon here, trying to get my mind away from the sight of you and that slutty ex girlfriend of yours groping each other last night behind the bleachers Ethan. Don't bother me anymore, go back to your bitch. We are done," I finished as I hung up on him, not giving him a chance to reply.

"Trouble in paradise?" Damon smirked at me, making me glare at him.

"Get lost Damon, I'm going home," I grumbled as I took my jacket and started walking the way we had come from.

"Its two states away, are you really going to walk all the way back?" Damon called out.

"It's significantly better than being in the same car with you for any amount of time," I called back, not even bothering to look at him.

"What if someone attacks you on the way home?" he asked as he appeared in front of me, blocking my way.

"I can deal with whatever the fates bring my way. What's it to you anyway, I thought you hated me," I replied as I tried to walk around him, but he stopped me.

"Look, why don't you come with me today? We'll go for a ride, see a friend of mine that lives nearby and we can be back in Mystic Falls tomorrow. What do you say, wanna get away from it all for a day?"

"Can't we just go home now?" I tried one last time, not sure why, but I didn't want to spend a day depending on him.

"Come on Rayna, live wildly for a little, it will help you. Trust me, I speak from experience," he winked.

I sighed, realizing I needed a break from all the madness of my hometown. "Okay, lead the way," I accepted, walking back to the car with him.

We drove for about another hour before we entered a relatively small town. Damon maneuvered around the small streets before he stopped in front of a local bar called 'Bree's bar'.

"So, where is this friend of yours living?" I asked as we got out of the car.

"Right here," he pointed to the bar as he locked up the car.

"Damon, this is a bar. I'm underage, they're not gonna let me in," I looked at him with my arms crossed over my chest. "Yes they are," he smirked at me before we made our way inside.

The place had quite a few customers, even if it was late morning, but Damon didn't make his way to one of the booths. Instead, he made a beeline for the bar, where a dark skinned woman with beautiful curly black hair cleaned glasses. As soon as the woman spotted him, she abandoned the glasses and went to the side of the bar where Damon waited for her.

"No," she said as she drank Damon in. "No, it can't be. Damon, my honey pie," she purred at him before grabbing him and kissing him passionately in front of everyone.

After that, she let him go and turned to address everyone in the bar. "Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life and ruined any and all chances of happiness!"

She poured shots for everyone in the bar and they toasted before they downed them all together. Thankfully enough, I had escaped her radar, but Damon motioned for me to come closer. The woman looked at me up and down before speaking to me. "So, how'd he rope you in?" she asked as she poured me a shot.

"I'm not roped in, I assure you," I shook my head as she offered me the shot.

"Honey, if you're not roped in, you're whipped. Either way, enjoy the ride," she smiled to me, and I could tell she knew what she was talking about.

"I don't know about you, but he has never touched me, and I intend to keep it that way. I prefer my men alive, thank you very much," I smirked back, and her eyes widened.

"A strong willed one, well done Damon. I think this one will be a challenge," she nodded.

I ignored her comment. "So, how did you two meet?" I asked as I sat on the stool next to Damon.

"College," the woman replied.

"You went to college?" I asked Damon, unable to imagine him taking classes for any reason.

"I've been on a college campus, yes," he smiled teasingly, making me roll my eyes at him.

"About 20 years ago, when I was a young, sweet freshman, I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him even more. Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody," she said dreamily.

"By the way, I'm Bree," she offered me her hand.

"Rayna, nice to meet you," I took her hand, and a little spark flew between our hands.

Bree looked at me with wide eyes, and I instantly understood what her secret was. "Ah, I see that we share the same secret," I smiled at her.

"Damon, you bad boy, you found yourself another witch," Bree turned to Damon.

"Once again, he and I have nothing between us. I'm guessing that his swagger got to you, but thankfully enough, I'm immune."

"He changed my world," Bree said as she eyed Damon with lust in her dark eyes.

"I rocked your world," Damon replied with a purr.

"He is good in the sack, isn't he?" she asked me.

"I told you, I have no idea, and I don't plan on finding out. I'm sure you can tell me though," I shrugged, making her smile.

"Well, he is, but mostly he's just a Walk-away Joe. So, what can I do for you?"

"I've been having a few problems with that tomb I had told you a while back," Damon whispered so that no one else could hear us. Bree looked at him with a serious expression before turning to me.

"He dragged into all this?"

"Literally," I nodded, finally taking the shot. This whole day was turning to a real mess.

My phone rang, taking me out of my thoughts. "It's Elena," I said as I walked away so I could talk to her. "Hey El, what's up?"

"Rayna, where are you? I went by your house and you were nowhere to be seen. I have to talk to you, like right now."

"Believe it or not, I'm in Georgia, in a bar with Damon, who is talking to an ex lover of his."

There was silence for a while from the other line before Elena found her voice again. "He kidnapped you?" she asked, horrified.

"Not exactly, but I'll get into details when we return. What happened to you though, you sound a bit upset."

"Last night, I was in Stefan's room, and I found a picture of Katherine. Rayna, she looks exactly like me. She could be my twin sister for God's sake!"

Uh oh, this was really bad. "El, calm down okay, try to control yourself. I promise that we will talk about this when I get back, but it's really no big deal," I tried to reason with her.

"No big deal? Did you hear what I just said?"

"Yes, and I'm not surprised because I had made the same discovery when I went to pick up Lexi on Stefan's birthday."

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" Elena yelled.

"Given the events that went on in our lives lately, I never had the chance to look into it or tell you about it. I promise to start the search as soon as I return, okay?"

"Fine," Elena huffed and she hung up on me.

This was definitely not good. Before I had the time to think over it, my phone ringed again. This time, it was Bonnie. "Hey Bon, what's up?"

"Rayna, something is wrong with my powers. It's like they have disappeared completely. I'm starting to get really freaked out."

"Easy Bon, one at a time. Did something happen that scared you?"

"Well, I have been thinking about Emily and the whole thing with Damon quite a lot lately, does that count?"

"That's probably it Bonnie. When we are really scared, our powers are rendered useless by the fear we feel. The only way to get over it is to face your fear."

"How do I do that?"

"That is a question that only you can answer Bonnie. You know your fear better than anybody else, only you can face it and get past it. As soon as you do, your powers will return to you."

"I could use your help Ray, can you come over to Grams' house, maybe she can help me."

"I'd love to, but I'm two states away, standing outside a bar with Damon."

There was a silence from the phone before Bonnie's terrified voice was heard again. "Please tell me you're kidding," she stuttered.

"Unfortunately, no. Don't worry about me Bon. I know how to handle Damon, plus the information he is looking for is quite interesting. I'll tell you as soon as we come back. For now, I have to go. Just remember what I told you, the only way to get your powers back is to face your fears and get past them."

"Okay, I'll give it a try. Be careful out there with Damon, okay?"

"I will, I promise," I agreed as I hung up. My phone started ringing again, making me groan. What was it with people today? Another groan escaped my lips when I saw the caller ID. "What do you want Ethan?"

"Rayna, please let me explain."

"There is nothing to explain Ethan, I saw you with my own two eyes, and my eyesight is really good, even at night."

"I didn't kiss her, she forced herself on me, I swear. I would never do anything to hurt you Rayna, you have to believe me."

"I cannot believe you Ethan. You betrayed my trust, I cannot trust you again."

"Rayna, give me a chance to explain myself. Please, tell me where you are and I'll come and get you."

"I need time alone Ethan. When I come back and I feel okay, I'll give you a call." I hung up on him, sighing. As much as I was trying to escape from my troubles, they were still following me.

I turned around and came face to face with a smirking Damon. "You okay?"

"Don't pretend that you care Damon, I know that you don't. Can we eat something? I'm starving," I muttered as I made my way back in the bar.

We both sat on the bar, a plate of hamburger and fries for each of us as we talked about various important and non-important things.

"So, what's up with little Miss Gilbert?" Damon asked as he popped a fry in his mouth.

"She discovered that her and Katherine are alike, and she freaked out. Even more when I told her that I already knew," I shrugged as I took a sip of my cola.

"You knew?" Damon looked at me incredulously.

"The night of Stefan's birthday, when I went by the boarding house to pick up Lexi, I found the two best friends fighting, and Lexi showed me Katherine's picture that Stefan keeps. Elena found that same picture last night and ran away from Stefan, angry that he kept such a secret from her."

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Bree asked as she approached us. "I heard a name I know. You two know Lexi?"

"Yeah, she and I have become quite close friends. She visited our town a couple of days ago, for Damon's brother's birthday. Quite a fun girl, I have to admit," I smiled at Bree, and she eased up immediately.

"I know. You should had seen her a few years ago in here. She and I danced like crazy."

"I know the feeling, we did the same thing," I nodded.

"You do realize how that sounds, right?" Damon asked with a teasing smile.

"Damon, get your mind out of the gutter before it rots completely," I smacked the back of his head, earning a surprised gasp from Bree.

She looked at Damon, probably expecting some sort of reaction from him, but he just threw me a glare and kept on eating. I winked at Bree, who just chuckled and moved on to serve her other customers.

"So, how is Elena coping with the whole twin-Katherine-Stefan thing?"

"She is freaking out. I have to admit though, I am really curious about this whole thing. How could Elena look exactly like Katherine? Can vampires have children?"

"Oh no honey," Damon chuckled. "Vampires can't procreate, but we do love to try," he winked at me.

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at his extremely irritating ability to turn everything to a sex talk.

"To answer your question, Katherine would have had to have a child before she was turned in order for her bloodline to continue."

"In any way, Elena thinks that Stefan used her to replace Katherine. From what Stefan has told me though and from what I've read in my ancestors' diaries, Katherine's character is not even remotely close to Elena's."

"Your ancestors wrote about Katherine in their diaries?" Damon looked at me incredulously.

"Yes, mostly my great grandma Victoria. Her being a witch, she was not affected by her charms and seemingly innocent smile, and saw her for what she was."

"And what is exactly that?" Damon huffed, starting to get angry.

"A cold, calculating woman that would do anything to achieve her goals and survive no matter what."

"You are completely wrong. Katherine was nothing like that," Damon shook his head.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I'm just telling you what Victoria thought of her. Until I meet her in person, I cannot judge her," I said as I removed the pickles from my hamburger.

Damon watched me and tilted his head, a bit disturbed. "You don't like pickles? What is wrong with you?" he asked as he took them from my plate. I watched him as he ate them, raising my eyebrow at him. "What?" he asked when he noticed my stare.

"How can you even eat? If technically you are…" I trailed off.

"Dead?" he whispered before bursting into laughter. It was a deep, clear laugh, with no traces of mocking. If I was in better spirits, I might have joined in. "It's not such a bad word Rayna. And to answer your question, as long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally, as if I was really alive."

"This is a nice act. Any of it real?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

Bree interrupted us, handing Damon a beer. "Here you go," she placed the beer in front of him before placing a shot of bourbon in front of me. "This is from the nice gentleman by the window," Bree whispered before walking away, and I turned to look at the man who had bought me a drink. It was a young man, around 25, with pitch-black hair and striking green eyes. Not overly bulky, but with a nice frame and a pretty face with high cheekbones and plump lips. I raised the glass and nodded at him. He raised his glass and we downed the drinks at the same time.

"It looks like you've got an admirer," Damon purred as he watched the interaction.

"Yes, and a rather pretty one at that," I agreed eyeing the stranger once again. I called for Bree and ordered two shots of bourbon. I took them and walked to the guy's table.

"Hi," I smiled, offering him one.

"Hello," he smiled as well as he took the glass. We clinked them and downed them together. The bourbon burned my throat a little, but I felt better. After Ethan and his little cheating act, it was definitely nice to be admired by a beautiful young man like the one in front of me.

"I'm Luke. I haven't seen you around," he asked as he motioned for me to take a seat across from him.

"That's because I'm not from around here, just passing by," I shrugged. "Oh, and I'm Rayna."

"Beautiful name. So, is the guy you came with your boyfriend?"

"For goodness' sake, no! I'm best friends with his brother, and he needed someone to come with him to find a friend out here. Besides, he is not my type."

"And what is your type?" Luke smiled at me.

"More down to earth, regular guys. Men like Damon over there, with their charm and swagger are really repulsive to me."

"How about me?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'll have to study you more to categorize you," I shrugged.

"Well, we have time for that, don't we?"

"Of course we do," I smiled at him.

Damon POV

"She is certainly an interesting one your new girl Damon," Bree stated as we both watched Rayna talking to the guy that had bought her a shot. They seemed to be hitting it off, and judging by their conversation, this Luke was trying to get lucky with Rayna.

"She is not my girl Bree, she told you that herself."

"Say what you want Damon, I can see that you are intrigued by her, even interested in her. I recognize the symptoms."

"Bree, you must be dreaming. I'm only interested in her powers, so she can help me get Katherine out of that tomb."

"Just be careful. I see that she can really attract men to her. Luke has been staring at her since the moment you walked in, not to mention those two on the other side of the bar and even old Gary, my favorite drunkard client. She has this certain aura about her," Bree observed as she washed a few glasses.

I looked at Rayna, still talking to that guy, and tried to understand what men could see in her. She was an irritating, know-it-all independent girl with witchy powers and an attitude to match mine. What was there to like?

Another hour passed and Rayna still hadn't returned from that guy's table. They were hitting it off, by the looks of it. Night fell over and the bar started filling with young people that came here to drink the night away and have fun. Music started playing, and I caught Bree smiling at something behind me. I turned around and almost gasped at the sight.

Rayna was on the dancefloor, grinding against that man, smiling seductively at him. "Now I see why you are not interested in her. She is a predator, like you," Bree commented as she came closer.

"Or a silly victim for another predator," I commented as I watched the young couple dance.

For some strange reason, I felt jealous. I still remembered how we had danced when I was a prisoner inside the boarding house and she was my baby sitter. Her lithe body had molded against mine, creating delicious friction between us. For a youngster like her, she definitely knew how to sway and drive a man insane with her moves. That last part was obvious from the way that Luke guy held her close to him, his eyes glinting with lust.

As the song ended, Rayna came to us, giggling. "Hey Bree, can I have a glass of water please? I'm parched," she gasped, breathing hard.

"After so much dancing, I would be parched as well sweetie," Bree laughed as she gave her a glass full of cold, refreshing water.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, eyeing her carefully.

"Having fun, living wildly like someone suggested earlier today. Now, if you'll excuse me, Luke invited me for a game of pool," she finished her water before walking away to the pool tables. I had a really bad feeling about this, but I wasn't exactly sure why.

Rayna POV

This was turning into a really nice night. Luke had turned out to be a really good guy, and I was having the time of my life. After he defeated me in pool for the third time, I downed the last shot and shook my head, trying to get rid of the buzz that was starting in my head.

"Maybe you should just admit that you suck at pool and we can stop this bet. You're losing 3 to nothing," Luke smiled teasingly at me.

"I will not quit until I defeat you at least once," I shook my head. Luke smiled and went to pick up two more shots.

I caught Damon staring at me, but I ignored him. I was having a good time, there was no way he was going to ruin it for me. Luke returned with the shots just as my phone started ringing again. "What is it with people and phones today?" I groaned as I saw it was my mother. "Hello?" I replied.

"Rayna, where on earth are you? What is all that noise in the background?"

"Hold on, I cannot hear you," I half yelled as I made my way outside to talk. "What do you want?" I asked, irritated that she was bothering me yet again.

"I cannot find your father, where is he? He's not answering his phone."

"Maybe he is busy with other activities and cannot speak to you right now. Either way, I'm out with some friends, so I can't really help you."

"Rayna, I want you to overcome your incompetence and try to help here, okay?" my mom replied, irritated.

"Bye mom," I growled as I hung up on her. Man, that woman was really determined to poison my life at any chance she got.

I was shaking with anger so much that my phone slipped from my hands, falling on the ground. "Damn it," I muttered as I bent over to pick it up. Before I knew it, somebody had grabbed me from behind, covering my mouth to prevent me from screaming.

Damon POV

I was sipping my third beer for the night when that guy Luke came up to me. "Hey, have you seen Rayna? I haven't seen her since she went out to talk on her phone." I looked around, not seeing her anywhere.

I left without a word, walking outside on the cool night, looking for the troublesome girl that I had chosen as my traveling companion. She was nowhere to be seen, the whole place seemed deserted of human populace. I noticed something on the ground in front of the bar and bent over to look at it. It was Rayna's phone. I picked it up, but she was till nowhere to be seen.

I walked around the bar, looking all over the place when I saw her, tied to an electricity pole, unconscious. "Rayna?" I called out.

The next thing I knew, somebody had sneaked up on me and had hit me with a wooden plank, making me fall on the ground, groaning at the shooting pain on my back. "Hello Damon, long time no see," a malicious voice said as the mystery man delivered another blow to my back. "Remember your old buddy Colin?" the man said as he hit me again.

I looked up and sure enough, there he was, Colin, in the flesh. He was a vampire I had met a while back, around 1920. We had roamed the city of Toronto, feeding every night on a different girl, until he went all crazy and massacred an entire family, both parents and the three kids, just for fun, as he had said. Sure, I enjoyed a good bloodbath as much as the next vampire, but this was a little too much, even for me.

The worst part was when he killed the oldest son of the family last, and he did that even when he knew I had come to like the guy. Ralph might have been human, but he was like a best friend to me, and Colin had killed him in order to purge me from my human emotions, as he had said then. In order to revenge my dead friend, I had killed the girl that Colin planned on turning, since he had fallen in love with her and left the same night from the city. How the hell had he caught up with me since he couldn't move around in the daylight?

"I see you have succumbed yet again to the filthy habit of making friends with humans, haven't you?" Colin hissed as he hit me again. "Well, since I think you haven't gotten a taste of this girl yet, and judging from her posture I think she is still untouched by men, this should be quite interesting. Come on out Luke, the girl is all yours for the taking."

Luke came out from the shadows, smiling like a maniac as he eyed Rayna tied on the pole. "Nice touch Colin, I see you remembered how much I like bondage games," Luke smiled like a devil as he approached the pole where Rayna was tied on. She was still unconscious, probably from all the alcohol she had consumed and, judging from the slight bruise that was forming on her forehead, either Colin or Luke had hit her to knock her unconscious.

"I think little Rayna can't hold her liquor," Luke cackled as he untied her and threw her on the floor. "Let's see, is that body as beautiful as it felt like when we were dancing?" he wondered as he pulled her jacket off, throwing it away.

"Let her go!" I growled, trying to get to him and rip him apart, but Colin held me back. He was a good 100 years older than me, so I was in a clear disadvantage. Luke pulled out a knife, flicking it open as he eyed Rayna's dress.

"Let's see what color her bra is, if she's wearing any," he smiled maliciously as he lowered his knife on the top of her cleavage.

Before he could cut it though, Rayna's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. "Something tells me that tonight your luck ran out Luke," she said in a surprisingly cold tone as she kneed him in the groin, making him bend over and fall on the ground, writhing in pain. She got up and turned towards us, but Colin kicked me really hard and tossed me away, lunging himself at her, fangs bared.

"How dare you puny human?" he growled as he grabbed her by her neck, choking her.

Rayna grabbed his hand that tightened around her neck, and the next thing I knew, Colin was letting her go, his hand covered in blisters. Rayna coughed, trying to get as much air in her lungs as she could, and I grabbed Colin by the neck, trying to restrain him. Unfortunately, he tossed me away and made a beeline for Rayna. She spotted him in time and her eyes turned first fiery and then pitch black, and Colin collapsed on the ground, holding his head, screaming from the pain. Luke recovered and ran to her, but I grabbed him and broke both his legs with a kick, making him yell in protest.

"AHHH!" Colin yelled, holding his head. It seemed the pain had intensified.

"Nobody tries to fool me like this and gets away with it," Rayna hissed and flicked her wrist at his direction, her eyes on fire. Colin lit up in flames that engulfed his entire body within seconds. He screamed and tried to roll around to put himself out, but the flames only burned brighter, turning his body into ashes within seconds.

Luke watched the entire time, still on the ground, holding his legs, terrified. As soon as Colin's body burned completely, leaving only ashes behind, Rayna turned her attention to him. Her eyes had not returned to their human form, and even I had to admit she looked scary right now.

"Please no, don't kill me, please!" he begged, his eyes wide with horror.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't let Damon here feast on you and drain you dry," Rayna hissed.

"Please, no. Bree told me to distract you so Colin could get to this guy," he pointed me.

"Colin was Bree's lover, he just wanted to avenge his lost girl from so many years ago, the one that your friend killed."

"And what was in it for you?" Rayna asked, unaffected.

"Bree promised she'd convince Colin to turn me into a vampire," he confessed.

"Well, you are going to die, but you are not coming back as a vampire," I stated as I moved closer to him.

"Rayna please, help me. I swear, I meant you no harm," Luke tried to beg.

I looked back at Rayna, giving her the chance to spare him, but she just looked at him once again before nodding at me. I turned to him and, in a flash of movement, his head was no longer attached to his body. I turned to look at Rayna, and was actually surprised to see that she hadn't even flinched. She watched as the head fell from my hands to the cold ground with a sickening thud, joining the body it once belong to.

"Move away," she muttered as she came closer. I did just like she told me and, with another flick of her wrist, Luke's body lit up in flames. She watched as the body slowly burned, the sickening smell of burning flesh filling the air. After watching the body burn for a few moments, I decided to go back inside and deal with my little traitor lover.

I entered the bar, looking around as I noticed that all the customers had left and Bree was getting ready to close up. She was inside the bar, downing a drink.

"We were just leaving, I just wanted to say goodbye," I stated nonchalantly, but I did notice how she tensed as soon as she heard my voice.

"Good to see you again Damon," she replied flatly, not even daring to turn around.

"No kiss?" I pushed her on, and she finally turned to look at me.

"I'm full of vervain, I put it in everything I drink," she stated, her eyes full of fear.

"And you're telling me this why?" I pushed.

"Colin was so heartbroken when he came to me Damon. How could you kill his beloved?" she accused me.

"He must have skipped over the part that he first killed a human I considered a friend of mine, along with the rest of his family, to teach me to never befriend humans," I replied with anger, moving towards her.

She jumped slightly at my movement, and spoke in a frightened tone. "The tomb can be opened."

That angered me even more. "You're lying," I growled as I moved closer to her.

"Emily's grimoire, her spellbook. If you know how she closed the tomb, the reversal process will be in her book," she said, frightened. "You can open the tomb."

"Where is it?" Rayna said from close by, glaring daggers at Bree. Her eyes had returned to human. Bree just looked at her, flabbergasted.

"You have no idea, do you?" I pressed on.

"No, I'm telling you the truth," Bree replied uneasily.

"I know you do my sweet Bree, and I am almost sorry," I whispered.

"Damon, wait," Rayna stopped me before I could rip Bree's heart out.

"I have a much more fitting punishment for her," she purred as she circled Bree before grabbing her neck roughly. Rayna's eyes turned black again as she muttered words I couldn't understand. They were not Latin, nor any other language I knew. Bree's eyes widened as she held on to Rayna's hand trying to pry it off, but Rayna kept on with her incantation without even flinching.

She finished and Bree collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

"What did you do to her?" I asked, eyeing the heaving body of Bree.

"The worst thing that can happen to a witch, is to take away her gift, her powers. Now, she is nothing more than a frail human, with no chance of ever getting her powers back."

"You are a witch, and yet you help him, a vampire?" Bree accused her, tears in her eyes.

"The deal I have with Damon is my own to care about, but you sent a human and a vampire to hurt me, one of your kind, so this is my punishment for you. Have a nice human life Bree," Rayna finished as she turned around and walked towards the entrance.

"Please, kill me," Bree begged me.

"Death is going to be salvation for her now Damon, just so you know," Rayna informed me before opening the door and exiting the bar. I looked back at Bree, her eyes full of tears as she silently pleaded for death.

"No. Goodnight Bree," I looked at her one last time before I walked away, exiting the bar. Rayna was waiting for me by the car, holding her jacket tight to her body to keep warm. Nobody said anything as we both got in the car. Just as I started the engine, we heard a gunshot from inside the bar.

Rayna looked at me and then spoke in a quiet voice. "Now, can we go home?"

Rayna POV

I slept through most of the journey home, too exhausted to stay awake. It still pained me that Luke had tried to get to me so that that guy Colin could kill Damon. I still had no idea why Colin wanted to kill Damon, but I was too tired to be bothered about it. I woke up slowly, yawning and stretching when I realized that the car was not moving. I looked around, and Damon was nowhere to be seen. I got out, feeling the morning breeze against my skin, alerting my senses, waking me up completely.

I spotted Damon lounging on a nearby field, looking away, deep in thought. I approached him, walking slowly across the fresh green grass.

"Good morning," I whispered, sitting down beside him. He simply nodded, never taking his eyes away from the rising sun. It was barely daylight, the sun just peaking from behind the hills.

"What did you do to that guy that made him wanna kill you so badly?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"I killed a human girl that he planned on turning, in revenge for him killing someone I cared about," Damon replied flatly, his expression stony, not even showing the slightest of emotions.

"Then he deserved what he got," I nodded, watching the sun as it rose, bathing us both in bright red light.

"I saved your life last night," I spoke again after a while, breaking the peaceful silence.

"I know," Damon simply said.

"That means you owe me one," I added.

"I know that as well, though I'm not particularly happy about that part," Damon replied again.

"Which is why you'll be happy to know that I've come up with a way for you to repay me."

That got his attention, and he turned to look at me, those blue eyes of his piercing me to my very core. "And what way is that?"

"I'm going to help you open that tomb," I replied, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"On two conditions though," I held a finger up.

"Name them," Damon replied, his face eager, though careful.

"All the other vampires in that tomb apart from Katherine have to die as soon as we open it. I will not surrender my town to their thirst. They are no doubt vengeful for the people that did this to them, and none of the townsfolk have any idea what their ancestors did. They have to be protected at all costs."

"And the second one?" Damon pressed on.

"As soon as Katherine recovers her full strength, you leave this town and never return, at least for a century."

Damon looked at me with an intense gaze, probably observing me closely to see if I was bluffing, but I wasn't, for real. I was going to do everything I could to open that tomb.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, getting me out of my thoughts.

"Because it seems that you are not going to leave until you get your girlfriend, and I hate to have to kill you because you pester our lives. Not to mention that Stefan has suffered enough because of you. He deserves happiness, and you are determined to prevent that from happen while you suffer without your Katherine. If we open the tomb and you get her back, you leave and Stefan gets a chance at happiness. So, are you up for it?"

"We still have to find the grimoire, and I doubt your witchy friends are going to give it up just like that, if they have it in the first place," Damon pointed out.

"You leave them to me. I'll open that tomb, but you'll have to fill out your part of the deal afterwards. If you don't, I'll make sure your life is a living hell, and you know better than to piss off a witch like me, don't you?" I looked at him. He observed me for another minute or two before nodding.

"Okay, you have yourself a deal. But if you don't keep your part of the deal, your life is going to be living hell, just so you know," he said as he got up.

He offered me his hand and I took it. He pulled me on my feet with a little more strength than needed, making me collide with him

. "You don't have to worry about my end Damon. I keep my promises, no matter what," I glanced at him before I turned to walk back to the car. I had just made a deal with the devil, and the worst part, I actually wanted it.

We drove for the better part of that day, reaching Mystic Falls a little after sundown. He drove me to my house, and we passed my wrecked car on the way.

"Oh, this is just pure torture," I groaned as I looked at my baby.

"Relax, just be happy that you made it out of there alive," Damon commented.

"The happiness for my near death experience wore off after the first few hours Damon, now I'm angry at that asshole that killed my baby. I mean, seriously, how would you feel if somebody made you crash your car?" I looked at him pointedly.

"Okay, you have a point," Damon nodded as he stopped right in front of my house.

"It looks like you've got company waiting for you," Damon pointed with his head towards the front porch where Ethan sat, looking at us.

"Oh crap," I muttered as I saw him. "Well, this had to happen at some point. Thanks for taking me for a ride Damon, I had lots of fun. We'll talk again soon, okay?" I said to Damon, loud enough for Ethan to hear as I got out of the car and made my way to the front door.

Damon drove away, leaving me to deal with Ethan. "Rayna, please let me explain," Ethan said as he got up.

"There is nothing to explain Ethan. I saw you myself, this wasn't a nasty rumor that someone told me about."

"Rayna, come on, give me a chance to explain what you saw, because it was not what you think."

"Such an original reply. Ethan, I am really tired from the trip, all I can think about is jumping in the shower and getting a lot of sleep. You can try and convince me tomorrow, but I can tell you right now that your odds of convincing me are slim, like a toothpick slim. Good night," I finished before closing the door on him. I had no tolerance for him right now.

* * *

And here you go! I never really liked Bree, so I decided to make her suffer a bit more than she did on the show. Also, I thought it would be a good idea for Rayna to love her car a much as Damon loves his. Anothe thing they have in common...

Reviews are always welcome!


End file.
